Lazy Chicken in the Pot
Chicken appeared on our table often when I was growing up. My father taught me how to cook it slowly in a pot, a dish that found its way to the table on many Sundays, sometimes alongside bread sauce - my absolute favourite. It was also the thing my parents made on cold winter days, especially when someone in the house was fighting off a winter cold. A roast chicken was never far away in our kitchen, and today, nothing has changed. My Lazy Chicken in the Pot is one of the simplest things I cook and requires almost no preparation. I make this at least once a week because it’s the perfect base for so many dishes. The chicken goes into sandwiches, salads and soups, while the stock becomes risottos, curries, sauces and more. Keep you eyes peeled on my Instagram for recipes coming soon on how to make the most of your roast chicken.
I usually just throw in whatever vegetables are hiding in the fridge - a sad leek, a carrot, some celery, or a handful of leftover herbs. I rarely make it the same way twice, but it always delivers. The beauty of this dish is that you can vary the aromatics and vegetables depending on what’s lurking in the fridge.
If you like, you could lean in a more Thai direction by adding lemongrass, ginger, coriander, and garlic, which will give the broth a more Asian flavour. That said, a simple broth can always be seasoned later, so I tend to stick with classic ingredients like celery, leek, carrot, and bay leaves.
Tip: add a whole bulb of garlic. Once cooked, squeeze out the soft sweet cloves and stir them back into the stock or dishes for extra flavour!
View cooking video here
Ingredients
• 1 whole free range chicken
• ½ onion
• 2 leeks
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 whole bulb garlic
• leftover herbs (eg. thyme/parsley stalks)
• 1 tbsp dried herbs
• 20g butter
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 @kallo stock cube
• 350ml white wine (I used @lavieilleferme chicken wine)
• 350ml hot water
• 1 tbsp Maldon salt
• ½ tbsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional depending on if you want the skin crispy)
Instructions
Heat oven to 220°C. Place the chicken in a large pot or Dutch oven with the vegetables.
Add the wine, butter, dried herbs, bay leaves and stock cube. Pour in hot water until the liquid comes about halfway up the chicken, then season well.
Reduce the oven to 170°C, cover with the lid and cook.
After 30 minutes, turn the chicken breast-side down in the liquid. (Skip this step if you want extra crispy skin.)
If you flipped the chicken, turn it breast-side up again for the final 20–30 minutes, remove the lid, drizzle with olive oil and increase the oven to 200°C to colour the skin. (For the crispiest skin, leave the chicken breast-side up the whole time.)
Cook until the juices run clear or the internal temperature reaches 75°C, about 1½–2 hours.
Remove the chicken and strain the cooking liquid to use as stock. Reduce it if you want a stronger flavour.
