One Pot, Whole Braised Chicken
A delicious, fall off the bone, whole braised chicken. Potatoes, carrots and cous cous round out the meal in an easy, one pot dish that's great for Sunday dinner or when you need to feed a crowd.
Yield: 6
Equipment
- large dutch oven (5 quart size or larger)
Materials
- 1 3 ½-4 lbs (1550 g) whole chicken (trim excess fat around cavity opening)
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 4 carrots, medium-large, cut into chunks
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1-1½ pounds (500 g) little waxy potatoes, golf ball sized
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon oregano, dried
- ½ teaspoon thyme, dried
- ¾ cup white wine (optional)
- 28 ounce whole plum tomatoes, canned
- ¾ cup israeli (pearl) cous cous or orzo pasta (or other small pasta)
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley or dill, leaves coarsely chopped (optional, for garnish)
- grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to °350 F (180°C). Heat a large dutch oven (at least 5 quart size) over medium high heat. Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Season all sides liberally with 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) and pepper. Add the oil to the pot. Place whole chicken, breast side down, into the pot. Sear the chicken until skin is golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add the onions and carrots to the pan. Saute' vegetables for about 5 minutes, until onions are softened and translucent. Push the vegetables aside to make a clear spot in the pan. Add the tomato paste and allow it to brown for 30 seconds. Scatter in the garlic and dried herbs. Saute', stirring everything together. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the white wine, if using (if not using, just skip to canned tomatoes). Bring to a boil and cook, reducing liquid to about half. Add the canned tomatoes, juice and all. Break the tomatoes apart, slightly, with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the potatoes. Season everything with 1-2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) and pepper.
- Place the chicken, breast side up, on top of everything. Fill the tomato can with water. Pour water into the pot so it comes up to about half way up the chicken. Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour. Add the cous cous, orzo or other small pasta, if using, around the chicken. Stir into the broth. If using pearl cous cous, cook in oven with lid on for another 15 minutes. Orzo or other small pasta may take 5 minutes more (taste pasta for doneness).
- When done, stir some parsley or dill into the brothy pasta. You can bring the pot to the table and remove the entire chicken, shredding up the meat. Or, leave the bird in the pot and ladle out portions of the stewed vegetables and parts of the chicken. Top with more parsley or dill and serve with parmesan on the side, if desired.
Notes
-if you anticipate leftovers, you might want to cook the pasta separately and add it to each serving. The pasta will just get mushy and soft in the fridge.
-lots of different vegetables may be used as a substitute for the potatoes. Cabbage wedges, cauliflower florets, butternut squash chunks, sweet potatoes, zucchini, mushroms or eggplant could be used.
-the cooking time for the pasta will depend on the pasta and it's size. If using something larger than orzo or israeli cous cous, check pasta for doneness after cooking time listed. Cook longer as needed.
-this recipe could be halved, using 2 cornish game hens instead. Cooking time will be 40 minutes, then 15 more after pasta is added.