Chicken baked in the oven on a baking sheet or fried in a pan looks great, but sometimes it gets a little dry. Those who like more juicy and softer meat should try a very simple recipe - chicken in its own juice, cooked in a glass jar. The dish is unlikely to be served on a festive table, but it is ideal for a regular dinner.
Chicken in a jar: features and benefits
The crispy crust looks very impressive in photos and videos, and it tastes very good. However, nutritionists are unanimous - chicken baked in its own juice is much healthier and healthier. It does not contain extra calories, because the cooker is prepared without adding fat. During stewing, no harmful carcinogens are formed, the meat is tender, juicy, rich in taste.
Chicken can be made with a minimal set of spices, but some prefer more complex options, adding spicy herbs, a variety of vegetables. Based on a basic recipe, it is easy to create a dozen author's versions, from simple to complex and multicomponent. Dried fruits, hot red, black or allspice, paprika, curry perfectly harmonize with delicate chicken. Herbs, fresh or dried, are also fine. You can try adding ready-made mixtures, such as Provencal herbs or special seasoning for chicken.
A big plus of cooking chicken in a jar is the minimal risk of ruining the dish. The meat will not burn or dry out, it does not need to be constantly monitored, greased or watered with juice. All that is required is to prepare the bird, put it in a glass container and season with seasonings. By the way, adding vegetables to the jar is very practical, in the process not only meat will be ready, but also a side dish for it, and without any additional hassle. In a similar way, you can cook both self-cut chicken and individual fragments purchased at the store. For example, thigh lovers can fill the jar with them exclusively.
Chicken in its own juice with potatoes: a classic homemade recipe
To cook poultry weighing from 1.5 kg, you need a container with a volume of 3 liters. You need to check it, make sure that there are no chips, cracks, or other damage on the bottom and neck. The jar is washed, removing the labels, and thoroughly dried. Do not wipe it off, otherwise the smallest lint from the towel will remain on the glass.
Ingredients:
- not too fatty young chicken (weight about 1.5 kg);
- 5 potatoes;
- 1, 5 tsp salt;
- 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper;
- 0.5 tsp curry powder;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 1 tsp butter
Wash the chicken, dry it with a paper towel. Cut the carcass into fragments without removing the skin. After cutting, you can start laying, proceeding step by step. Lean fillets are laid down, fatty legs are placed on top, the last layer is the back and wings. The pieces should not be too large; when laying them, they are lightly pressed with your hands. Sprinkle the layers of chicken evenly with spices. Pass the garlic through a press and also add to the jar.
Peel the potatoes, cut into medium-sized slices of arbitrary shape, put on top of the chicken slices, salt and pepper. Add a spoonful of butter (if the bird is oily, you can skip this step). Close the container with a lid, but not hermetically, otherwise the glass will burst under the influence of high temperature. An important condition is not to fill the jar to the neck, so that the tasty juice does not run away, and the meat does not turn out to be dry and tough. If you don't have a glass or metal lid, you can cover the neck of the jar with foil.
Place the jar in a cold oven to heat up gradually. Cooking chicken with potatoes will take 1.5 hours, the optimum temperature is 180 degrees. Then turn off the oven and let it cool down. It is impossible to remove the container from the hot oven so that the glass does not burst. Arrange the fragrant chicken on plates along with potatoes, sprinkle with finely chopped spicy herbs: dill, parsley, celery.
For those who love the original taste, you can slightly change the recipe by adding washed and coarsely chopped prunes. The meat will acquire a subtle sweetish aftertaste and subtle smoked aroma.
Poultry with vegetables: a step by step recipe
An original and very healthy dish, ideal for a family dinner. The proportions of vegetables can be changed as desired. For those who prefer a spicier taste, add garlic and some ground red pepper. Connoisseurs of delicate dishes will love the addition of powdered paprika. Fresh vegetables can be replaced with frozen ones, and canned tomatoes in your own juice can be added instead of ordinary tomatoes.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 kg of chicken;
- 1 onion;
- 2 sweet peppers;
- 1 large juicy carrot;
- 1 meaty tomato;
- 3 bay leaves;
- 5 allspice peas;
- salt and spices to taste;
- dry herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary).
Wash the chicken, dry it, cut it into pieces. In a plate, mix salt, spices, dry herbs, roll the meat in them. Peel the onions and carrots, remove the seeds from the pepper. Cut the onion and pepper into thin half rings, carrots into slices. Cut the tomato, scald with boiling water and carefully remove the skin. Chop the pulp into large cubes.
Put a layer of chicken in a jar, cover with a mixture of vegetables, place the meat on top. Alternate products, but do not fill the jar to the top. Cover the container with a glass lid or foil, put in a cold oven, bake for 1.5 hours at 180 degrees. Turn off the oven, let it cool down and remove the jar. Serve the chicken on preheated plates, complementing the meat with a colorful vegetable garnish.
