Recipe: Peasant Chicken

Delicious, takes about 10 minutes to knock up, whether as meal for two or a large family – simply add more chickens and veg.  The first time I tried this recipe I used one on my Bantams.  To be honest there isn’t much meat on a bantam so I’m glad I was just feeding me, but it was delicious all the same!

This recipe is classed as a ‘peasant food’; throw all negative connotations about ‘peasants’ right now.  They knew how to cook, and they knew how to keep it simple so they could crack on doing other stuff.  They were also expert at making use of whatever was to hand, so you’ll find this recipe is infinitely adaptable.  No carrots?  Go ahead and chuck some parsnips in.  You will see that the recipe is a little light on exact instruction – its meant to be, use what you have to hand.

Enjoy.

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10mins
Cook Time: 2 and half hours

Ingredients: -

2.5kg Chicken
Onions, carrots, leeks and potatoes and/or seasonal veg to suit
Knob of butter
A couple of bay leaves
A sprig of rosemary
Salt and pepper
Wine

Method

Preheat your oven to 190C (Gas 5).  Cut your veg into chunks and put into a casserole dish.  Mix your salt and pepper in with the butter to give you what I like to call: salt and pepper butter (Genius), then smear the butter all over the breast of the bird.  Now, place the chicken on top of the veg and shuffle it around so you have some of the veg around the sides of the chicken - this will allow better airflow round the chicken when its in the oven, allowing it to cook more evenly. Put your herbs in on top of the chicken; add about a glass of wine and the same again of water.

Bung your bird in the oven and let it cook at 190C (Gas 5) for about an hour.  After an hour stir the veg around a bit, baste the chicken with the juices and turn the oven down to 140C (Gas 1) for another 90mins.  For the last 40mins of the cooking turn the chicken onto its back and give the veg another stir, put back in the oven with the lid off.

Serve carved up on a big plate with the veg placed around the meat and enjoy.