Chicken in Milk
This represents my first effort toward completing my Culinary Goals list that I posted here on Annieblog in December.

I started with #1 — which is a pretty good place to start. Don’t you agree?

Anyway, Goal #1 for me was to learn to cook a whole chicken or turkey. I can see now, after this try, that I’m going to do a lot with this goal this year. I liked this recipe but now I want to try more. And so I shall. But first….what on earth is Chicken in Milk about?

Well, I first saw this recipe on the Kitchn(it was originally a Jamie Oliver recipe) and then remembered it recently. Since it called for common ingredients and didn’t require specialized equipment that I do not have (a roasting pan, a roasting rack, etc.) I decided to give it a go.

We devoured it. It was not blow-your-socks-off awesome but it was exactly what it was supposed to be: yummy, moist and easy. The recipe also makes a good deal of sauce — something good to drizzle over the chicken. We had only about 3/4 cup of chicken leftover and so that alone should tell you that this is good chicken.

Chicken in Milk with Lemon, Cinnamon, Garlic, Sage
• 1 – 3-4 lb chicken

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 stick of butter

• olive oil

• 1/2 cinnamon stick (I omitted this)

• 1 good handful of fresh sage, leaves picked
(I used 1/2 T. dried)
• zest of 2 lemons

• 10 cloves of garlic, skin left on 

• 1 pint milk

Preheat the oven to 375°F and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over, and fry it in the butter and a little olive oil, turning the chicken to get an even color all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the oil and butter left in the pot. Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven for 1½ hours. Cook it for the first hour covered. Uncover it for the final 30 minutes. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. (I didn’t do this.) 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 on to your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Dip your bread in the juice, spread with the garlic.