CookEat Recipe
Country-Style Chicken with Potatoes
Whole chicken studded with rosemary and garlic, braised with tomatoes and served with potato wedges browned separately and finished in its juices.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 young whole chicken, about 1.2 kg, already eviscerated; 1 garlic clove, cut into 4–5 pieces; A few small clusters rosemary leaves; About 40 g firm, lightly cured pork fatback, finely minced; Salt and black pepper to taste; About 400 g ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and flesh cut into chunks; About 250 ml prepared meat broth or water, added as needed; About 600 g potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges; About 2 tablespoons olive oil for browning the potatoes.
Step 2
Keep the cleaned chicken refrigerated until cooking and do not rinse it. Make a few shallow slits in the flesh with a clean knife and insert the rosemary clusters and the 4–5 garlic pieces. Season inside and out, using little salt if the fatback is salty.
Step 3
Put the minced fatback in a close-fitting heavy casserole and heat gently until it releases some fat. Add the whole chicken and turn carefully with tongs until browned on every side, about 15–20 minutes.
Step 4
Add the seedless tomato chunks. Cook until they soften and collapse, then add enough broth or water to keep a shallow pool around the chicken. Cover and simmer gently, turning occasionally and adding small amounts of liquid as needed. Cook until the whole bird reaches 82°C in its thickest breast and thigh areas without touching bone, roughly another 50–70 minutes, depending on its size.
Step 5
Meanwhile, brown the raw potato wedges separately in the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat, turning frequently. Continue until golden and almost tender, about 20–30 minutes depending on their size.
Step 6
Lift out the fully cooked chicken and keep it hot. Add the browned wedges to its simmering tomato juices and cook for about 5–10 minutes, or until completely tender and coated with the sauce. Serve the potatoes around the chicken with the remaining juices. Remove any kitchen string if used, then carve.
Step 7
For a milder version, replace the fatback with about 40 g butter. The potatoes may instead be browned in about 30 g butter or rendered lard; choose one cooking fat for them, rather than adding all three.
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