Though the ingredients list might seem odd, this is actually one of the best chicken dishes I have ever had. Possibly the best roast chicken I've ever had. It's incredibly easy to make and produces a very tender chicken with crispy skin on top. The braising liquid reduces to a fabulous sauce that has a hint of freshness from the lemon and muskiness from the sage and cinnamon. The whole cloves of garlic cook in the skin so they are soft and mushy (mild garlic flavour, much more sweet), perfect for popping out of the skin and eating with the chicken, or spread it on toast! The milk dissolves into bits of curd which remind me of bocconcini and taste like little bursts of creaminess.
Recipe by Nagi | RecipeTin Eats on January 1, 2015
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT100M
Total time: PT105M
Rating
4.86 stars (42 reviews)
Ingredients
3 - 3.5 lb / 1.5 - 1.8 kg whole chicken
2 tsp salt ((plus more to taste))
Black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 stick cinnamon
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves
2 lemons (, zest only (avoid grating the pith which is bitter))
10 cloves of garlic (, whole, skin on)
2 1/4 cups milk ((I used low fat))
Categories
Chicken
Dinner
Roast
Steps
Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
Wash the chicken under water and pat dry with paper towels.
Sprinkle over the salt and 5 grinds of black pepper and pat all over the chicken, concentrating on the top and sides.
Heat oil in a heavy based pot over high heat. (Note 1)
Brown the chicken all over as best you can. I find the easiest way to do this (and minimising skin tearing) is with tongs stuck in the rear of the chicken and a wooden spoon to lift and leverage the chicken. Tilt the chicken as required to brown as much of the skin as you can. (Note 2)
If you can manage it (or if you have a helper), pour the excess fat out of the pot with the chicken still in it. If you can't, remove the chicken onto a plate, then drain the fat.
Add the remaining ingredients into the pot (return the chicken to the pot if you removed it).
Bake covered for 40 minutes, then bake uncovered for 50 minutes (1.5 hrs in total).
Let stand for 5 minutes or so before removing the chicken from the pot onto a serving plate. Serve the sauce on the side. I prefer not to strain it because I want the bits of curd and garlic on my chicken, as well as bits of sage.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 303 g
Calories: 466 kcal
Carbohydrates: 6.2 g
Protein: 61.3 g
Fat: 20.4 g
Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
Cholesterol: 183 mg
Sodium: 794 mg
Sugar: 4.8 g
Reviews
Emily McL on 2026-06-29 (5 stars): Made this for my mother, brother and 2 nieces (9 and 7) and they all loved it! I only put in half the garlic, but might do more next time. Such a handy meal and chicken was so tender. Served with roasties and steamed veg. Going to have leftovers with cous cous- will make again! Cannot believe I never saw this recipe on here before!
Kathy Quintero on 2024-03-30 (4 stars): So, still don't know what to do about the lemons...juice or not...I am just making it with just zest...if it needs juice or pulp, mine won't have it unless I can get a quick answer. 🙃
Dale on 2023-08-09 (5 stars): Yum! I had a bottle of milk to use, and wanted something savoury. This hit the spot beautifully, fork tender chicken with a lovely lingering after-taste. So good. Will definitely make again
Pippa on 2022-03-10 (5 stars): Made this several times and it is now my only way of roasting chicken. The leg meat stays succulent making it more edible than traditional roasting and I find that I also use more of the whole bird such as for sandwich meat. Basically no dry bits!
Having missed out the sage or garlic bulbs (replaced with a tablespoon of minced) a couple of times as I didn't have them, it seems the lemon peel and cinnamon are the real carriers of flavour. That said the bulbs are delicious as a spread with chicken on turkish bread!
Patience on 2021-11-03 (5 stars): We had this tonight for the second time and it was amazing! So juicy and delicious. The sauce is wonderful and my kids wanted to drink it off their plates. Thank you for your fantastic recipes.
