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Chicken with salt in a cauldron

Whole Chicken Baked in Salt

An unusual, out-of-the-box way to cook chicken! Lean meat and easy prep add up to a perfect dish for the whole family. This recipe is especially handy for roasting poultry outdoors or on a picnic.

The Patricks channel

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Chicken

Ground black pepper

Dry seasonings

Vegetable oil

150

Basil

Rosemary

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 45 % 5 g

Fats 55 % 6 g

Carbohydrates 0 % 0 g

70 kcal

GI: 0 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

To start, mix all the spices together with the oil.
Step 2:

Rub the chicken all over with the spice mixture, and tuck the basil and rosemary inside the cavity.
Step 3:

Wrap the chicken in foil so there isn't a single gap. Wrap it very tightly.
Step 4:

Pour 2 kg (about 4 1/2 lb) of salt into the bottom of a Dutch oven or heavy pot and spread it into an even layer.
Step 5:

Set the foil-wrapped chicken on top, making sure it doesn't touch the sides of the pot anywhere.
Step 6:

Cover with the rest of the salt, burying the chicken completely.
Step 7:

Set the pot over prepared coals, adding a few wood chips now and then to keep a low fire, and let the chicken cook for about 1 hour 20 minutes. After that, the dish is done.

You can make this chicken not only over coals but also in a regular oven in your own kitchen. Pour a layer of salt about half an inch thick over the bottom of a baking pan and spread it out, then set the foil-wrapped chicken on top and bury it under more salt. Set the oven to 350°F (180°C) and bake for two hours. The result is very tasty and lean. Cooked this way, the meat comes out soft, tender, and light. Just remember there must not be a single hole in the foil. From my own experience, I recommend using only farm-raised chicken, since it's tastier, firmer, and doesn't fall apart the way factory-farmed chicken tends to. This recipe is perfect for cooking outdoors or on a picnic. Prep everything in the kitchen before you leave, and outdoors you just pack it into the pot and light the fire. The cooking itself needs little attention — you only have to add a stick of wood now and then to keep a low fire. Once the chicken is buried in salt, don't forget to sprinkle a little water over the top; it helps a nice crust form. You can use exactly the same method for a duck, a leg of lamb, or a rack of loin ribs — but add half an hour to the cooking time for lamb or pork. Instead of rosemary, try cumin, thyme, or parsley and dill. The herbs steam as it cooks and give the bird an amazing aroma.