Jamie Olivers famous chicken cooked in milk

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I test out the famous Jamie Olivers chicken in milk recipe

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.

Jamie Olivers chicken in milk recipe

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.

Jamie Olivers chicken in milk recipe

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. 

Jamie Olivers chicken in milk recipe

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

Pasta in a creamy roasted onion & fennel sauce with pork meatballs & gorgonzola

Coq au Chardonnay

Jamie Olivers chicken in milk recipe

Recipe – slightly adapted from Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver chicken cooked in milk

Jamie Oliver's famous chicken cooked-in-milk recipe
Print Recipe
Jamie Olivers chicken in milk recipe
Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg free-range chicken
  • olive oil
  • 40 gm butter
  • 1/2 stick of cinnamon
  • A handful of fresh sage leaves
  • Zest peeled form 2 lemons with a vegetable peeler
  • 10 cloves of garlic skin on
  • 600 ml milk

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 Estate makers of some of the finest Chardonnay’s in South Africa

 

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11 Comments

  1. When I made this I blended the curds and juice to a smooth creamy sauce. Much more palatable for me.

  2. Thats interesting Mary, I might give that a go next time although i didnt mind the curd bits.

  3. Can one substitute almond milk?

  4. Hi Am, I really can’t say as I have not tested the recipe with almond milk. It certainly won’t split into the curds as with regular milk. You should give it a tray.

  5. Best roast chicken I’ve ever had

  6. myboozykitchen says:

    I too am a huge fan of Jamie and this is one of my favourite chicken recipes. It comes out so juicy, so tender and absolutely delicious. The wine looks good too – hope it went down well!

  7. I agree its such a unique recipe and yes, the wine was a treat.

  8. Shirley van Eeden says:

    at what stage does one put the chicken in the oven?

  9. HI Shirley – when I say cook it – it gets cooked in the oven only 🙂

  10. CINDY Feinstein says:

    Do you think this recipe would work in a crock pot ?

  11. HI Cindy, I have no idea sorry

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