Stuffed chicken in cocotte (traditional recipe)

Few recipes are more successful when family or guests come to the house than preparing roasted chicken. Today I bring you the way we always make stuffed chicken round (but with the same step by step and tips you can make a whole chicken).

The important thing is to get the chicken to come out very tasty and well roasted, that's why I bring you the key points for roasting chicken .

Tricks and tips for making roast chicken

1. Use quality meat , and it is not a saying: it is worth investing in meat that is free-range and that has had a good life and nutrition. The meat will taste better, have a better texture, and won't release as much water or reduce as much.
2. To roast meat, use iron pieces and not ceramic pieces*: the iron takes higher temperatures, with which (1) you will seal the meat more quickly, thus preventing it from losing liquid and flavor; and (2) it reflects heat much better, so you'll get a better roasted meat, with that toasty and crispy exterior that we so desire in a roast.
3. You need to provide aroma, a lot of aroma! If something cannot be missing from a good roast, it is (1) a good amount of garlic (at least a head of garlic) and (2) a good amount of herbs , such as rosemary, thyme, bay leaf... Without missing it, of course. , salt and pepper in its proper measure.
4. Go bathing the chicken with the oil , which is more flavored every minute. This way you ensure that it will be tasty and tender inside, at the same time that it will help in the external roast.
5. If you are making the chicken en cocotte, during the first part of cooking, leave the chicken with the lid on, so that the heat penetrates the meat and it cooks on the inside without browning on the outside (also remember that the lid radiates heat Also, so it's been getting all over the place, after the first 45 or 50 minutes you can remove the lid.
6. When the chicken is almost done, add a good splash of cognac and let it evaporate. It will provide aroma and will make the roast finish getting toasted in the last few minutes.
7. The accompaniment, to taste. There are those who accompany the chicken with a wide variety of vegetables, from tomatoes to carrots, onions, peppers, mushrooms, apple... There are others who do not, who simply have enough with garlic and onion. Do the accompaniment to your liking, but it is important that you add the vegetables cut in the right size according to their nature and hardness (the tougher vegetables, cut medium or smaller; the softer vegetables or fruits, cut into very large wedges). This way you will ensure that they remain whole and are not burned after the long time of cooking that these roasts require.

Le Creuset cocottes and Revol slate dishes

In a round cocotte or in an oval cocotte?

The round cocottes are the most popular, as they adapt perfectly to the shape of the kitchen stove and distribute the heat evenly and radially throughout its base.

Thus, a round cocotte will be ideal for your day to day: prepare creams, pasta, rice, grain stews, meat and fish, to make biscuits or to make bread...

When is it ideal to use an oval cocotte? The oval cocotte is ideal for long or whole pieces: for round chicken, for roasting a whole chicken (cut into quarters you can perfectly distribute it in a round), for legs of lamb, for whole fish or large loins... When you want to cooking long pieces, the oval cocotte is perfect (also, in an oval cocotte you can do everything mentioned above).

With all that said, let's go for this traditional and easy to make roasted chicken en cocotte recipe!

Ingredients

• Chicken round (see note)
• 2 onions
• 1 large head of garlic or 1 and a half
• Salt
• Black pepper
• rosemary or thyme
• a bay leaf
• Olive oil
• A generous splash of cognac
• Optional: tomatoes, carrot, potato, mushrooms...

Note: Choose carefully where you buy the stuffed chicken, which is quality meat and ingredients. There are many types of filling, from the simplest such as cheese and ham, to others that include Serrano ham or bacon, raisins, dried apricots, eggs, mushrooms, vegetables, apples or pears... This one today is egg and plums.

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC.
2. Salt pepper the chicken round on all sides, generously.
3. Pour a good jet of oil into the iron cocotte , so that much of the bottom is covered. Introduce the round in the cocotte.
4. Peel the garlic and distribute them whole throughout the cocotte, surrounding the meat and also arranging them above and below the meat. You can put some peeled and others unpeeled, but be generous when it comes to garlic.
5. Peel and halve the onions, and distribute the parts along the sides of the chicken round.
6. If you want to add vegetables, such as carrots or tomatoes, cut them into large pieces and add them now to the cocotte.
7. Sprinkle rosemary on top, and also leave several whole branches, above and on the sides of the chicken.
8. Pour a good jet of oil (be generous!), close the cocotte and place in the covered oven.
9. Let it cook, covered, for 45-50 minutes. During that time, turn the chicken a couple or three times. After that time, remove the lid and raise the temperature to 180-190 ºC. Let it roast for another 45-50 minutes. During that time, turn and spray the chicken with the same juice from the cocotte several times. When it looks well roasted, remove the cocotte from the oven and let it lose heat.
10. The chicken round is ideal to prepare it the day before serving. Either because you have prepared it the day before or you have let it cool for a few hours, it is time to cut: take it out of the cocotte and place it on top of a wooden board. Cut the net that surrounds it and, with the help of an electric knife or slicer , cut into slices of one centimeter or one and a half centimeters, according to your preferences). Once sliced, return the meat to the cocotte.
11. About ten minutes before serving, put the cocotte on the stove, covered, to heat the meat. Remember that serving the meat by sprinkling it with that delicious juice -with all its aroma, there is no better way to enjoy dipping the bread!

Note: While the cocotte is in the oven, I usually prepare some mushrooms in a pan to accompany it. Simply, apply a jet of oil in a frying pan and put it on the fire, add a couple of peeled garlic cloves and, when it is hot, add the mushrooms or mushrooms you want, cleaned and cut in half. Let them roast a bit and add salt, pepper and Provencal herbs. When they are starting to cook, you can reserve and add them to the cocotte along with the chicken, when there are about 15 minutes left to finish cooking in the oven. You can also finish making them in the pan, and serve the mushrooms separately so that each diner can serve himself.

And you, what tricks do you have to get a good barbecue? Leave them in comments, I'm sure we all get very good things out of everything you say.

*Ceramic trays are also suitable for roasting, but the result will never be the same as in iron: ceramic is a humid material, so they are really indicated for not drying out recipes that you want and want to keep moist, such as cannelloni or lasagna, make casseroles or bake a cake.