This famous recipe for chicken cooked in milk by Jamie Oliver is something I have wanted to make for the longest time. It’s utterly intriguing. The notion of a whole bird being browned and then slowly cooked in milk and sage until it literally falls off the bone appeals to me in every single way. It wasn’t until I was thinking about a dish I could make that would pair perfectly with the De Wetshof Estate Bon Vallon Chardonnay that I thought ‘this is the one’, and I was right.
I followed the recipe as documented on Jamie’s website vs the most recent video version where he browns the chicken in a heap of butter first then tosses this out. This seemed like a bit of a waste, so I used olive oil as he initially prescribes.
The lemon zest, sage, garlic and cinnamon then get added to the butter after the browning stage and this releases the amazing aromatics before the milk and chicken go back in.
The chicken cooks slowly for 1.5 hours in a high-sided cast iron dish to retain all the moisture. A quick Google led to a few reviews of the recipe and one convincingly claimed it was better to cook the chicken with the lid on for half the time. So this is what I did.
For the second half of the roast, I flipped the bird back with the breasts exposed to go golden brown. I liked the idea of starting the cook with the breasts facing down and submerged in the liquid. This is the driest part of the meat so it made sense to cook it this way.
The lemon zest causes the milk curds to split making the most interesting sauce, and these flavours paired beautifully with the unwooded Bon Vallon. Earthy, herbaceous, creamy and zesty, the wine echoed so much of what was happening in this dish.
The Bon Vallon like the other Chardonnays at De Wetshot Estate are grown in site-specific vineyards with soils rich in limestone and broken mountain rock on. The wine has a clean freshness which makes it the perfect pairing with so many dishes and it breaks through the fattiness of this dish beautifully. I was lucky enough to taste the full range at a recent chef’s lunch where each wine was paired with a course and reminded me again how incredible these wines are with food.
What to serve with chicken in milk
Serve with all the curd, garlic and herbs in the pan. This makes a delicious sauce. A plate of steamed greens such as tender-stem broccoli or green beans is perfect here. Along with the best-ever roast potatoes and a glass of De Wetshof Bon Vallon Chardonnay 2017.
Some steamed greens such as beans, bok choi or tender stem broccoli would be lovely with this dish and to balance out the richness.
The other recipes I have made with De Wetshof Estate Chardonnay:
Risotto alla Milanese with brown butter pan-fried prawns
Jamie Oliver's famous chicken cooked-in-milk recipe
Print Recipe
Prep Time:20 minutesmins
Cook Time:1 hourhr
Ingredients
1.5kgfree-range chicken
olive oil
40gm butter
1/2stick of cinnamon
A handful of fresh sage leaves
Zest peeled form 2 lemons with a vegetable peeler
10clovesof garlicskin on
600mlmilk
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F
Put a generous splash of olive oil in a deep-sided cast iron lidded pot and fry the the well seasoned chicken on all sides until golden. Use long tongs to flip the bird around and allow it to balance against the sides of the pot.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Discard the oil from the pan.
Add the butter to the pot, and once bubbling toss in the zest, garlic cloves, sage and cinnamon stick. Cook this for a couple of minutes until the aromatics are released and the sage just starts turning crispy.
Add the milk to the pot and place the chicken back in the breast side down. Cover and cook for 45 minutes.
Remove the lid, flip the bird over to breast side up and finish off cooking it until golden brown for the remaining 45 minutes.
Servings: 4
Author: Sam Linsell
*This post is proudly sponsored by De Wetshof Estatemakers of some of the finest Chardonnay’s in South Africa
The calcium in milk is thought to kick-start a natural enzyme in the chicken that helps it tenderize. It also breaks up the acidity and heat. (That's true for non-dairy milk, like coconut milk, too.) As an added bonus, the milk creates a creamy sauce that will keep a roast chicken even juicier.
It's best to marinate the chicken in milk for at least 30 minutes, but you can also marinate it for up to 24 hours for maximum flavor and tenderness. Be sure to cover the chicken and refrigerate it while it marinates to prevent any potential food safety issues.
The calcium-rich properties of milk react with enzymes in the meat to gently soften the proteins. Whole milk (not reduced fat), buttermilk, and yogurt all get the job done – with a special nod to buttermilk and yogurt for their optimal tenderizing acidity levels.
A milk marinade produces a super tender chicken, which melts in the mouth because milk contains lactic acid, which breaks down muscle fibers in the meat. Additionally, the best milky marinade for chicken is one that uses a fermented milk product, such as buttermilk or yogurt.
As long as the chicken is thoroughly cooked you can have as much chicken and milk together as you like. There is no danger in consuming the two together or sequentially.
If you ask any seasoned chef about one tip to make the chicken tender, pat will come the reply to soak it in milk for 48 hours as chicken has a tendency to dry out when cooking. Not only does milk tenderise the meat but adds moisture to it.
They marinate the chicken in buttermilk, bread it with flour and seasonings, then fry it either in an open fryer (for crispy) or pressure fryer for original recipe. The seasoning packet for each is also different. But no boiling.
Batter the chicken: The trick to getting the batter to stick to the chicken pieces properly is to dip the chicken into the seasoned flour, before dipping into the egg mixture.
Can You Use Milk Instead of Buttermilk for Fried Chicken? No.Using milk instead of buttermilk will not have the same effect. However, it's easy enough to make buttermilk at home.
“Consumption of this combination could even lead to adverse effects in the long run. These effects may include gut-related issues such as stomachache, nausea, indigestion, gas, bloating, ulcers, bad odour, constipation, acid reflux and many severe skin disorders,” she further added.
A milk marinade produces a super tender chicken, which melts in the mouth because milk contains lactic acid, which breaks down muscle fibers in the meat. Additionally, the best milky marinade for chicken is one that uses a fermented milk product, such as buttermilk or yogurt.
If a bird consumes large amounts of milk sugars, it could cause them diarrhea, but small amounts will probably pass through unnoticed. It is believed by some dairy feeding chicken farmers that dairy products which don't contain milk sugars, like yogurt or cottage cheese, are fine to give your chickens.
Introduction: My name is Dr. Pierre Goyette, I am a enchanting, powerful, jolly, rich, graceful, colorful, zany person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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