this is an unbelieveably easy dish that is delicious!!!
i put this in the crock pot this morning at about 7am. i had a baggie with these herbs that i had picked the other day. the only thing that i forgot to put in was the lemon. i just added it now. here's the recipie.
SLOW COOKED GARLIC LEMON HERBED CHICKEN
1 chicken (less than 5 pounds is best - they get a little gamey above 5 pounds)
2 heads of garlic, cut in half
1 lemon, cut in half
2 handfuls of herbs (leave them on their stems) i've used rosemary, thyme and sage here
place all ingredients in the crock pot and cover. cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 4-6 hours. discard herbs. put the garlic aside. take the chicken apart (i do it in while it's still in the crock pot to avoid a mess on a cutting board to be cleaned up later). place chicken and garlic on platter.
the thing i like most about this recipie is that there is no liquid added. the meat falls right off the bone and is infused with the flavors of the herbs, garlic and lemon. i love to serve this with butternut squash risotto.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (or buy the already prepared kind in the bag at trader joe's) -you'll need 1 cup of of the cubed squash. i keep the unused portion for another meal.
1/2 cup diced onion (or 1 -2 diced shallots)
1 TB olive oil
1 cup risotto (arborio rice)
2-4 cups chicken broth - homemade or low sodium from trader joe's
1/2 - 1 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 ts salt
1/2 ts pepper
place chicken stock in pot over high heat. heat olive oil in a separate arge pot. add onion and saute until softened. add rice and stir until coated with oil for about a minute. using a ladle, add a cup of chicken stock. stir. start adding the chicken stock at about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring between each addition. the key is to wait 'till the stock is absorbed somewhat by the rice before adding more. the bubbles should be kind of big (like frog's eyes is what the chefs said at culinary school). after you've added 2 cups of the stock, add the suquash, stir. keep adding stock, stirring. after you've added abot 3 cups of the chicken stock, add the wine, keep stirring, you have to stirr pretty much continuously or it will stick to the bottom and burn. this develops a creamy rice mixture. add about another 1/2 cup of stock stir, check rice to see if it's cooked enough. it should not have any hardness (or bite) left. if it's not ready, keep adding stock (if you run out, just use water). once this is cooked enough, turn off the heat and add the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. serve immediately.
what i like about this meal is that you really don't have to worry so much about getting the timing right. the chicken can sit in the crock pot until almost right before you start the risotto.
an alternative way to make the risotto for springtime would be to change the squash for asparagus (just add later in the cooking of the rice) or peas (same thing, add later to avoid over cooking)
