As Jamie Oliver states in the introduction of the recipe, “A slightly odd, but really fantastic combination that must be tried.” This couldn’t be more true!

Furthermore, who doesn’t love roasted chicken? It’s one of my family’s favorite weekend dinners of choice. When my friend and Once Upon a Spice follower, Jana Young Baron introduced me to Jamie Oliver’s recipe I knew I would have to give it a try. Especially, since Jamie is one of my all-time favorite self-taught chefs and I love most all of his recipes.

It requires a little more prep—not much really, but here’s what you need to know about this recipe that makes it worth the small amount of extra effort. First, it makes the entire house smell marvelous—reminiscent of childhood memories of weekends cooking with mama. Second, NO carving! The meat is so tender that it literally falls off of the bone. Third, the sauce is scrumptious—perfect spooned over noodles, rice or potatoes. Crusty bread and a small salad and you’re all set!

Jana, my friend, thank you for introducing this incredible recipe to me—it’s a keeper! Friends, now I am passing the baton on to you. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1.5 kg (approximately 3 pounds) higher-welfare chicken (just chicken) 🙂

sea salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

½ stick cinnamon

1 good handful fresh sage, leaves picked

zest of 2 lemons

10 cloves garlic, skin left on—I took the skin off

565 ml milk (approximately 2 1/2 cups)

Jamie & Jana’s Directions

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5, and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over, and fry it in a little olive oil, turning the chicken to get an even colour all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil left in the pot. (I omitted this step and left everything in the pot) This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan which will give you a lovely caramel flavour later on.

Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven for 1½ hours. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, making a sauce which is absolutely fantastic.

To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it onto your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Serve with wilted spinach or greens and some mashed potato. I took the pot out of the oven, added spinach, replaced lid and steamed with the remaining ingredients for 5 minutes–less work–stir and enjoy!