A juicy slow roast chicken is a staple in my home, with five growing children the amount of meat I need to prepare is something that is becoming a little scary.
A slow roasted chicken is succulent and tasty and a nice change to the other ways of preparing chicken, which can occasionally can get a little ….blah.
This is is a simple recipe, one I like to make to save on time later in the evening, in the winter when the short days get away from me, I like to get the evening meal prepped early and in the oven, my slow lamb is another favourite.
I prepare a slow roast when the kids are still running around after lunch, knowing I can have a productive afternoon doing something outside of the kitchen
I will admit, I have never measured anything in this recipe. It’s just not one of those.
Guidelines are all you need, you can’t go wrong, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy adapting this simple dish to your own tastes.
To cook
I try and always source good quality chicken, I find slow roasting chicken that is cheap leaves a not so nice taste in the stock.
I do use aluminium foil, which I am aware isn’t the healthiest. You could use baking paper, as long as you have twine or cooking string to tie it up like a little parcel, you want your slow roast to baste in the butter, not have it run out.
Place your butter, herbs and spices underneath the chicken, which is placed breast down, and cooked slowly for 4 hours at 120 degrees celsius.
I try and wrap it tight enough with a few layers of foil so that the butter doesn’t leak out, but if it does, the slow cook of the chicken will leave you with a nice buttery stock in the bottom of your baking pan.
Sometimes I use it to make gravy and other times I actually put it in a jar and use it as a buttery chicken stock for sauces later in the week.
Easy slow cooked chicken in butter
Soft and juicy, this chicken is a wonderful change to classic roast chicken, good in winter with steamed vegetables and gravy and just as tasty with spices and a salad in summer.
Ingredients
- whole chicken, on the larger side.ย
- 100-150 grams of butter, depends on how much you like butter!
- generous pinch of salt, around a teaspoon.ย
- pepper, black, freshly ground, 1 tsp.ย
- oregano, generous pinchย
- mixed herbs, another generous pinch
- bay leaf
- garlic powder, 2 tsp
Instructions
1. Lay out a large layer of foil, enough to wrap your chicken in once over.
2. On it, place your butter in a few thin slices, so that the chicken can lay evenly on top.
3. Onto the the butter place your herbs and spices and the bay leaf.
4. Place the chicken on top, breast side down.
5. Wrap snuggly, adding extra one or two layers of foil until the chicken is wrapped tightly.
place into a baking dish.
6. Bake in a low oven for four hours at 120 celsius.
7. If you want slightly browned skin, remove the chicken at 3 1/2 hours, remove foil, turn chicken to breast side up. turn oven to hot, 190- 200, and when the temperature is reached place chicken back in the oven for 20 minutes or so.
Serve with potatoes, I do mine, boiled whole, then smothered in butter, pinch of salt and chopped parsley. served with dijon cream sauce.
Notes
You can add herbs and spices of your choosing.
In summer I like lemon thyme, or rosemary and salt and garlic.
You can even do an asian dressing or moroccan spice. I will have these recipes up soon!
You can also cook this in the slow cooker, I haven't tried two chickens, as I like them to sit on the bottom and baste in the butter.
To do this, simple add the butter and herbs and spices to the bottom of the slow cooker and place the chiekn breast down on top, then cook on low for around 8 hours.
You can preheat you oven and place the chicken in at the end if you desire.
slow roast chicken in the slow cooker
this recipe does just as well in the slow cooker, I have to bake two chickens to feed my family, but it your cooking just one, pop it in the slow cooker, without the foil, breast down, on the butter just like in the recipe and cook on low for 8 hours.
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