This recipe may make your head turn a little when you read through the ingredients list that calls for cinnamon, milk, garlic, lemon and chicken? But hear me out, it speaks to the warmer savory dishes you crave during the colder winter months. I know everyone is already daydreaming of spring out there but let's be realistic, the cold is here to stay for at least another month in upstate NY. The cinnamon spices paired with milk, lemon, garlic and butter pair marvelously and will be just the thing to bring you creamy warmth from the inside out.
Hopefully you have have seen our classic Classic Roasted Chicken recipe. You will notice how similar this roast is to make but with a few additions to really change it up for your pallet and eat with the seasons. Preparation can take all of 15 minutes or so. And let me tell you, I have been able to make a weekly habit of this dish for our busiest outing day. That is a feat. I prepare in the morning, my husband is able to slide the bird cooker all set to go in the oven at 4 pm. By 6 pm I am home with the girls and we can settle in and enjoy a home cooked meal around the table together.
The only real task for you will be to make sure you don’t let your chicken brown too much. You will dress the chicken back up with spices and pour the liquid from the dish back over the top of your chicken about halfway through cooking. That is really all to look out for after preparing your roast. It is a decadent meal that will come easy. Savor what is left of winter with the warmth this meal will bring for you and all of whom you serve it up to.
Cinnamon Milk and Butter Roasted Chicken
What you will need:
1 pastured 3-5 lb Parker's Old Time Farm broiler chicken whole
5 cups milk of choice (We love raw goat’s milk from our farm)
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Parker's Old Time Farm Tallow (rendered pork fat), or olive oil, or coconut oil
2 lemons
3-4 teaspoons cinnamon
6 cloves of garlic or 3-4 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons sea salt
Optional:
2 lbs carrots
3 lbs potatoes
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the whole chicken on a towel and pat dry. Then place your bird legs up in the center of your dutch oven, bake pan or bird cooker.
(Optional) Slice your golden potatoes and carrots 1” thick. Add the potatoes and carrots to surround the chicken.
Rub 2-3 tablespoons of both choice of fat and butter into the whole bird (a mix of olive oil or tallow and butter are my favorite). Lightly drizzle a couple of tablespoons of oil over the potatoes and carrots.
Add garlic powder, salt, and cinnamon to the bird, the potatoes, and the carrots. Chop garlic cloves after finely chopped or minced garlic over chicken and throughout vegetables. Rub the oil and spices into the whole bird. Toss the potatoes and carrots. Pour 5 cups of milk over the top of your bird. Squeeze one whole lemon over the bird and place the used wedges in with the vegetables to cook.
Place the bird into the oven. Expect chicken to cook for two hours. When your bird is half-way done, take the chicken out of the oven. Collect a few spoonfuls of the juices at the bottom of the pan to pour over the top of your chicken and vegetables. Take your last lemon and squeeze over the top of the bird. Feel free to add additional seasonings of butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cinnamon to your chicken if you feel it is necessary (I always do). Place your chicken back in the oven. If your bird ever starts to brown before it is finished cooking, tent aluminum foil over the top of it and continue to bake until finished. Cook the bird until the meat begins to easily fall off the bone and the juices run clear. The skin should be golden and crispy.
Scoop your vegetables from the bottom to the top. Do your best not to mash up the carrots and potatoes. Option to swap out the vegetables and make a bed of rice alongside the chicken with sauce poured over.
Things to note:
When serving don’t forget to spoon the chicken juices over the entire dish.
I find the low and slow bird browns well without aluminum foil needed to prevent the bird from burning. The time also makes for a juicier bird with lots of moisture.
Your bird will reach a temperature of at least 165 degrees when it is done. Depending on your oven and size of your bird, your cooking time may vary.
If you are like who has the time for that? I hear you. No problem, set your oven to 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes until your chicken has a nice browning on the skin. Tent the chicken with aluminum foil. Turn your oven down to 350 degrees and cook for 60 minutes. Be sure to still scoop your vegetables half way through from bottom to top and cover your chicken once browned.
When finished with the meal, place whatever is left of the bird in a crockpot and immediately prepare bone broth that will be ready when you wake up the next morning.
