Dutch Oven Chicken
April 7th, 2013
Oven pre-heated to 350°F
Bought a fresh organically raised 4.5 lb. chicken from Whole Foods this afternoon. Giblets were scant – one stomach & a neck, big deal, so I kept the neck and tossed the rest. Inside was washed thoroughly, then I placed
3 stems of fresh Rosemary
3 cloves of whole Garlic
And the Neck inside the cavity.
Placed the chicken in the 6 qt. Dutch Oven with:
1 cup of tap water
5 whole Peppercorns
3 dried Laurel leaves
Placed chicken in oven for ½ hour at 4:50 PM.
Notes
- Recently bought the Martha Steward-brand ceramic coated Dutch Oven at Macy’s on Easter sale for about $58 USD; I don’t really care for Martha but it was a well-constructed pot with a lid that was as good as any I had looked at earlier in the day over at Bed Bath & Beyond. Last week it was initiated with a 5 lb. chuck roast (350°F for 3 hours) and considering the first attempt it came out good enough; little dry but plenty flakey so you could cut it with a fork. I had the veggies in with the roast the whole time; overcooked – but ok. I didn’t remove any fat, so it was a rich meal that lasted me about 4 or 5 dinners & I am certain to have gained weight! Regardless, this is my 2nd piece of cast iron cookware (the 1st being the skillet) and I am liking it.
- Called my Mom for advice (cos I like calling her about cooking new stuff) and she said to add ½ to 1 cup of water to prevent drying out. We discussed my mistake with vegetables last time and she told me to add those in the last hour of cooking. Will do Ma :wink:
- I prepped the vegetables during the 30 minute back.
Veggies
More or less chopped in this order and added to a large mixing bowl…
½ Yellow Squash (leftover – couldn’t fit in the previous dinner pot)
1 Green Zucchini
3 Celery stalks
10 smallish Crimini Mushrooms
1 smallish head of Broccoli
1 Green Bell Pepper
3 medium organic Carrots
1 medium-sized white Walla Walla Onion
2 smallish Heirloom Purple Potatoes
2 medium Red Potatoes
Spiced with
1 glove of Garlic, chopped
1 sprig of fresh Rosemary, denuded
Dash of Oregano & Basil & Salt & Red Pepper Flakes & fresh ground Black Pepper
Blended these ingredients twice with my hands to break up the levels – and spread out the loading of mushroom & onion throughout. When the 30 minutes were up, I pulled out the Dutch Oven and inspected the chicken which had just begun to turn away from pink, and was quite warm to touch. None of the water appeared to have evaporated, and yet there were small islands of chicken fat just starting to collect, and had an aroma was slight though noticeable. The ingredients of the bowl were then added in so that the order was reversed – with the majority of the potatoes and carrots at the bottom & squash at the top – though imprecisely. About midway through the fill I added the dashes of spice and garlic. It nearly filled the container clear to the top – and I had to be very careful to not touch the sides! The whole process took about 5 minutes – counting picture taking.
Left: Chicken just before I placed it in the oven. Right: After 30 minutes; veggies ready to go into the pot (looks like apples but it's red potatoes).
Back into the oven for another hour at the same 350°F about 5:25 PM.
It was a cold wet damp weather day in the Pacific Northwest. I decided to enjoy a Pyramid Discord/Black IPA (
previously reviewed here) whilst the chicken cooked. Mmmm <slurp!> Tasty!
45 minutes later: Mmm, empty glass. Feel good ~urp! Might have to break open that 2nd 22 oz. bomber; it’s an Elysian Dragontooth Stout. There’s about 15 minutes left to cook, though a really delicious aroma is wafting out of the kitchen. I miss my Convection Oven; the digs here don’t have the nice amenities that my farm house had. It seems to me that the Dutch Oven provides an even heat like Convection cooking – albeit lacking in expediency, and nearly the moisture quality of an oven bag without the mess. When I first brought it home I spent several hours seasoning the exposed cast iron edges, and upon cleaning after the first use – I was very careful and did not introduce soap. I’ve had problems with my skillet cos it gets so messy and I want to wash it… hard to break old habits. There’s 10 minutes left to cook & I yam anxious. Even if I pull the Dutch Oven out of the oven it will continue to cook as it cools. I’d sure like to get that chicken to where the meat falls off the bone by looking at it. The aroma is really picking up and I can pick out savory smells now. Maybe next time I’ll try using a little beer in the bottom of the cooker instead of water.
About 6:30 PM: OK, pulled it out and inspected. When I pulled off the lid you could hear sizzling at the bottom. I tested the veggies with a fork and they are done; no resistance with carrots. However the chicken does not quite fall away from the bone as I would like; I didn’t see pink, but I wasn’t convinced it was cooked all the way through either, so I placed it back in the oven for another 15 minutes – let’s be sure it’s good and done. What I sampled was plenty moist and there didn’t appear to be any shortage of that in the pot. Best to be sure even at risk of overdoing it for I desire the meat to fall away.
Left: Pot packed with fresh veggies just before adding back to the oven after the first 30 minutes. Right: An hour later... taken seconds after I lifted the lid with steam rising (sorry about that chicken leg; I was a greedy zombie and had to sample it).
I bet the veggies can be added in the last 45 minutes, perhaps even al dente at 30. Better prep the movie; din din is coming soon.
6:52 PM; pulled it out to cool. Pulled off the lid and began tugging at the chicken to give us a serving; it nearly pulls free with a little bit of effort. Definitely done. The Rosemary smells heavenly! There is a lot of liquid in the bottom – looking forward to a cup of that. Time to watch an episode of
The Walking Dead on Netflix. Epicurean discovery in a moment.
Left: My dinner plate. Right: What's left in the pot; lot's of goodly broth there.
- - -
The veggies were overdone; expected that. Going to move that clock back to the last 45 minutes for the next time. Chicken almost falls off the bone, though is slightly dry; there’s plenty of liquid left in the pot so I don’t know how to answer that one except to let it cook for perhaps an hour before adding the veggies. I haven’t hit the breast meat so I can’t say how the flavor is, though overall it was lightly spicy, aromatic, and not salty. The plate didn’t last 10 minutes. Damn good!
If anyone has Dutch Oven stories I would been keen to learn more.
Bon appetite,
KF
....
don't get your hopes down heheeh
)! You like italian food? I know another recipe, that went well when I cooked it for many others, maybe we can split this up again, you take the pics and I provide the recipe? 
