Lunches Fit For a Kid: Recipe: Clay Pot Roasted Chicken

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Recipe: Clay Pot Roasted Chicken

I love my clay pot. I don't use it often enough. I had a whole chicken in my freezer that needed using, and I couldn't think of anything better than roasting it in my beloved clay pot.

Clay Pot Roasted Chicken

1 whole roasting chicken (~5lbs)
1 large onion, sliced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
~1-2 c carrots, chopped
2 lemons
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1-2 Tbsp Teeny Tiny Spice Tandoori Masala Spice Mix
2 Tbsp butter, melted

2-4 Tbsp to thicken the juices to make gravy

Soak your clay pot (top and bottom) for at least 15 minutes in water. Preheat oven to 425 F.

Remove contents from inside the whole chicken and discard. (I once forgot to do this, and the result was disastrous. Smelled amazing, but was inedible. Don't make this mistake) Remove skin from the chicken if desired - I like doing this because, while it is not as pretty, it gets the flavors right on the meat.

Line the bottom of the clay pot with parchment paper. Place sweet potatoes, carrots, and half the onion on the bottom of the pot. Place the chicken on top of the veggies, and stuff with one lemon that has been cut in half, along with the other half of the onion. Put the other lemon slices around the chicken.

Sprinkle the chicken with the garlic powder and Tandoori spice. Rub the spices into the chicken. (If you have not removed the chicken skin, it would be a good idea to put the spices and some lemon slices under the skin).

Brush the chicken with the melted butter. Put the cover on the clay pot, and cook for about an hour, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 F.

Remove the chicken and the veggies from the clay pot and transfer to a serving platter.

Before thickening

Pour the juices from the pot into a small pan and stir until the volume is reduced by about a quarter. Whisk in the flour bit by bit, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened.