Title: Braised Chicken with Bacon (Clay Pot)
Categories: Chicken Ceideburg
Yield: 4 Servings

5	lb	Chicken
4		Strips bacon
1		Onion, finely chopped
1		Clove garlic, finely chopped
1	c	Chicken broth
1/2	ts	Salt
		Freshly ground black pepper
1		Tb. cornstarch dissolved in
2		Tb. cold water
2		Tb. finely chopped parsley or chives

Last weekend I finally managed to find good romertopf. A big one++ big enough for a small turkey! And am I glad. This is a neat way to cook. I fixed the following recipe and it came out great. I fudged it a bit++added a couple of quartered taters, three cut up carrots and a couple of cut up celery stalks. Everything came out cooked to perfection.

After getting it, I went to the bookshelf and rummaged around for possible recipes and came across a book I'd forgotten I even had. These recipes are from it. This recipe is the only one I've actually fixed, but if the rest are as good, I'll be impressed. I had expected the chicken to have a soft, steamed skin, but the parts that were above the liquid were nicely browned.

Here are some chicken ones, one for osso bucco and one for a New England boiled dinner that looks outrageous.

In the book, Chalmers says that nearly any recipe can be adapted to the clay pot cookers by adding a hundred degrees to the listed temperature and adding half an hour to the cooking time.

Soak the clay pot in cold water for 10 minutes. Truss the chicken securely and sit it in the pot, breast side up. Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry until crisp. Drain the bacon and scatter it over the chicken breast. Add the onion, garlic, chicken broth, salt and pepper.

Cover the pot and place it in a cold oven. Adjust the heat to 450F and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Drain the juices into a small saucepan. Bring to boiling point and stir in the cornstarch dissolved in cold water. Add the chives or parsley to the sauce and pour it over the chicken. The chicken will be so utterly tender you will not have any difficulty carving it right out of the pot. Serve with rice or noodles and a tomato salad.

Serves 4 and 2 children

From "Cooking in Clay" by Irena Chalmers, Potpourri Press, Greensboro N.C., 1974.

Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; November 9 1992.

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