Baked chicken embodies all the qualities of an ideal hot dish, especially for a festive table. It is economical, has a delicate taste and satiety, and goes well with many other foods and sauces. Cook the chicken on a vegetable bed or roast it in the oven on a beer bottle.
Baked chicken on a vegetable pillow
Ingredients:
- 1 large chicken weighing 1.8 kg;
- 2 onions;
- 3 carrots;
- a small root of celery;
- 8 cloves of garlic;
- 1 lemon;
- 100 g of butter;
- 40 g of hard cheese;
- 4 sprigs of thyme;
- olive oil;
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper;
- 1, 5 tsp salt + 3/4 tsp. for vegetables.
Peel the vegetables and cut the onions, carrots and celery into cubes. Season with salt, stir by hand, transfer to a baking sheet or ovenproof dish and drizzle with olive oil.
Melt the butter in the microwave or in a water bath, grate the cheese on a fine grater and mix both products well. Cut the lemon into eights. Free the garlic cloves from the husk, chop 3 of them and add to the vegetables, press the rest a little with a knife.
Preheat oven to 180oC. Wash the chicken, let it dry and rub inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff with lemons, 5 garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. Separate the skin from the carcass in several places, forming pockets. Fill them with cheese oil, press and gently massage the bird to disperse the fat. Lay it on the “pillow”, breast side up.
Tie the chicken legs and bake for 40 minutes, then turn over and cook for another 20 minutes. Return it to its original position and place it in the oven again for 15-20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet, cover it with foil, wrap the edges hermetically and leave the dish for 10 minutes.
Drunken spiced chicken in the oven
Ingredients:
- chicken weighing 1.5 kg;
- a half-liter glass bottle of dark beer;
- 40 g of honey;
- 1 tbsp. granular mustard and vegetable oil;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 1 tsp each paprika, cumin and cinnamon;
- 3 tbsp. salt.
Dissolve the salt in 2 liters of cold water, dip the chicken in it and hold for an hour. Pull it out and pat dry with heavy paper towels. Combine honey, mustard, oil, crushed garlic and spices in a small bowl. Rub this paste on the bird from all sides, paying attention to every millimeter.
Remove the paper labels from the bottle, uncork it and pour a quarter of the liquid into a glass. Put the carcass on it and place it in the center of the baking sheet. Pour the stored part of the beer into it and top up with water so as to cover the entire surface of the cookware. Gently wrap the top of the chicken with foil to prevent it from burning, and place in an oven preheated to 200oC for 1 hour. Remove the paper 15 minutes before the end of cooking.
