Chicken in a Pot
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 27, 2013
Time
1¾ hours, plus 20 minutes resting
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (4 ½- to 5-pound), trimmed of excess fatSalt and pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 onion, peeled and halved, root end left intact1 celery rib, halved crosswise1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces6 garlic cloves, minced1 cup white wine 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 ½ pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
Before You Begin
You will need kitchen twine and a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid and at least a 6-quart capacity to make this recipe. Serve the chicken with Dijon mustard, pickles, and horseradish as accompaniments, if desired.
Instructions
- Season chicken: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Using fingers, loosen skin from breasts and legs of chicken. Rub 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper all over chicken and underneath skin. Tuck wings behind back and tie legs together with kitchen twine.
- Brown chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Following photos, add chicken, breast-side up, and cook until back is lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Add remaining oil, onion, celery, and carrots to empty pot and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and broth and bring to boil. Arrange chicken, breast-side up, on top of vegetables. Season potatoes with salt and pepper and arrange around chicken. Transfer pot to oven and cook, covered, until thigh meat registers 170 to 175 degrees, 50 to 70 minutes.
- Make sauce: Remove pot from oven and transfer to wire rack. Remove lid and tent pot loosely with foil; let rest 20 minutes. Carefully transfer chicken to carving board. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to serving platter, discarding onion and celery. Let sit 5 minutes, then strain and skim sauce (you should have about 2 cups of sauce; if you have less, supplement with chicken broth). Whisk butter and chives into sauce and season with salt and pepper. Carve chicken and serve, passing sauce at table.
Time
1¾ hours, plus 20 minutes restingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
1 whole chicken (4 ½- to 5-pound), trimmed of excess fat
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and halved, root end left intact
1 celery rib, halved crosswise
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (4 ½- to 5-pound), trimmed of excess fat
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and halved, root end left intact
1 celery rib, halved crosswise
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (4 ½- to 5-pound), trimmed of excess fat
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, peeled and halved, root end left intact
1 celery rib, halved crosswise
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup white wine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Older recipes for Chicken in a Pot called for submerging the bird in liquid and boiling it, but the drawback was that all the meat cooked at the same temperature, meaning that by the time the legs cooked, the breast meat was dried out. We took a cue from a Julia Child recipe and cooked the chicken in the oven with poaching liquid that covered just the legs and thighs. To flavor the liquid, we started with chicken broth and a splash of white wine for brightness and complexity. We browned just the back of the chicken before poaching, which elicited just enough fond to intensify the broth. We also browned the vegetables to add more flavor to the broth.
Before You Begin
You will need kitchen twine and a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid and at least a 6-quart capacity to make this recipe. Serve the chicken with Dijon mustard, pickles, and horseradish as accompaniments, if desired.
Instructions
- Season chicken: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Using fingers, loosen skin from breasts and legs of chicken. Rub 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper all over chicken and underneath skin. Tuck wings behind back and tie legs together with kitchen twine.
- Brown chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Following photos, add chicken, breast-side up, and cook until back is lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Add remaining oil, onion, celery, and carrots to empty pot and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and broth and bring to boil. Arrange chicken, breast-side up, on top of vegetables. Season potatoes with salt and pepper and arrange around chicken. Transfer pot to oven and cook, covered, until thigh meat registers 170 to 175 degrees, 50 to 70 minutes.
- Make sauce: Remove pot from oven and transfer to wire rack. Remove lid and tent pot loosely with foil; let rest 20 minutes. Carefully transfer chicken to carving board. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to serving platter, discarding onion and celery. Let sit 5 minutes, then strain and skim sauce (you should have about 2 cups of sauce; if you have less, supplement with chicken broth). Whisk butter and chives into sauce and season with salt and pepper. Carve chicken and serve, passing sauce at table.
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