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| Clay Pot Chicken |
Treasured cookware is the theme this month for Recipe
Redux. I decided to pull out my clay
cooker that my oldest brother gave me over 25 years ago. It’s a Romertopf clay baker.
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| Romertopf Clay Baker |
Clay pots have been around for centuries in all parts of
the world. Clay pot cooking can be healthy as some recipe call for very little
fat. The moisture in the pot (from soaking) helps the cooked food stay moist,
making your finished dish more flavorful, tender and succulent.
I decided to do a classic baked chicken using one of the
recipes that came with the dish. However, I modified it (imagine that) to use
chicken parts instead of a whole chicken and I added more veggies. I used
chicken thighs and split chicken breasts that were both on sale. This recipe is
perfect for entertaining company because everything gets cooked together in one
pot. You can assemble the dish ahead of time and then it cooks, unattended, for
about an hour and 15 minutes. No basting or watching required.
According to The
Best of Clay Pot Cooking by Dana Jacobi, there are six rules of cooking in
clay.
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| Clay Pot Cooking by Dana Jacobi |
- Always soak unglazed pots completely submerged in water before using. Soak new pots for 30 minutes; after that, 15 minutes.
- Never subject a clay pot to quick or extreme changes in temperature. (That’s why you put it in a cold oven and bring it up to the desired temperature.) Don’t add cold liquid to a hot pot.
- When opening a pot after cooking, tilt the cover away from you to prevent steam from hitting your face.
- Use long oven-proof mitts when handling a hot clay pot.
- Don’t store food in a clay pot; the flavors will seep into the clay.
- Never use scouring powder or steel wool on a clay pot. Scrub with a fiber or nylon pad(or a stiff brush).
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| Individual Serving of Clay Pot Chicken |
Here is the complete recipe.
Clay
Pot Chicken
Ingredients:
1
medium onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1
large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2
medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
4
carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
3
inner stalks and leaves of celery
4
lbs. chicken parts (with or without skin)
Non-stick
cooking spray
1
teaspoon dried rosemary
1
teaspoon dried thyme
Directions:
Soak clay dish in water to cover for 15 minutes. Place,
onion, sweet potato, gold potatoes, carrot, and celery onto bottom of clay pot.
Place chicken pieces in single layer on top of vegetables. Spray chicken with non-stick spray and season
top of pieces with rosemary and thyme. Cover and place in cold oven turned to
450 degrees for about 75 minutes, or until chicken registers 165 degrees on
meat thermometer.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition
Information per Serving:
301 calories, 8 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 86 mg
cholesterol, 4 g dietary fiber, 31 g protein, and 153 mg sodium. One serving of
this low cost recipe provides an excellent source of protein, vitamin A and C,
niacin and B-6 and a good source of riboflavin, thiamin, and fiber.
Cost
per Serving: $1.41
Pricing Note: all ingredients were at “regular” prices
except potatoes which were on sale for
$2.99 for a 5-pound bag.
