Lemony Clay Pot Chicken

Lemon Clay Pot Chicken

I love my clay pot. It is remarkably easy to use. Soak, fill, cover, and bake that is all there is to it. The only downsides are being careful to place the hot clay pot (and lid) on kitchen towels so it doesn't break and sometimes getting the clay pot clean is tricky.
Every time I bake in a clay pot, I am impressed with the results. It does an amazing job with chicken, seafood, and fish. I am on my second clay pot; my first one broke (even though I followed all of the safety precautions). My current clay pot is a bit small. I have a large clay pot on my Christmas wish list.

Here is my base clay pot chicken recipe

4-5 lbs of Chicken Pieces or Whole Chicken
Up to 1 1/2 Cups of Liquid
Choice of Veggies (Cut up Potatoes, Tomatoes, Onions, Carrots, Mushrooms)
Spices
1 Tbsp of Cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp of Water (Optional)

Soak the clay pot for at least 15 minutes. Place all of the ingredients in the clay pot and place in s cold oven. Set the oven to 475F/246C/Gas Mark 9 and bake covered for 60 minutes. Remove cover (place on several layers of dish towels so it doesn't crack. For crispy chicken, remove juices to a small saucepan and thicken with cornstarch (if desired). Cook the chicken uncovered for 15 minutes. 

Here is what I did tonight:

Lemony Clay Pot Chicken

Whole Chicken
4 Tbsp of Olive Oil, Divided
1 Lemon (Zested and Juiced)
1 Onion
1 Tbsp of Fresh Oregano
Several Potatoes
1 Tsp of Salt, Divided
1/2 Tsp of Pepper, Divided

Getting all of the prep work done

Prepare clay pot by soaking in cold water. Rinse and pat chicken dry.  Zest and juice the lemon. Stuff lemon halves into cavity of the chicken. Peel the onion. Slice half of the onion and stuff into the cavity of the chicken. Dice the other half of the onion. Place the chicken in the clay pot. Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Toss the potatoes with the onion, one tablespoon of lemon juice, two tablespoons of olive oil, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

Potatoes and onions tossed with oil and herbs

Add 2 tablespoons of oil olive to the remaining lemon juice and pour over the chicken. Salt and pepper the chicken and sprinkle zest over the chicken.

Ready for the oven

Place in a cold oven and set the oven to 475F/246C/Gas Mark 9. Bake for 60 minutes. (While it is baking you don't need to do a thing-- I recommend having a glass of wine). Remove the top and let it cook uncovered for 15 minutes.

Plated and ready to eat

The bottom line: will I make this again? Yes it was lemony delicious. The oregano paired with the lemon makes this dish. It reminds me of a roasted chicken I had at a Greek restaurant. The potatoes were perfectly cooked.