It’s brisk and breezy, but sunny outside. I’m wallowing in Christmas music (classical and choral from WCPE). The heirloom chicken that I bought at Rose’s Meat Market and Sweet Shop yesterday is in the oven now.

I decided that I would do the traditional French chicken in a pot rather than just roasting the bird–it seemed so appropriate for the weather. I browned the breast side in a little olive oil, added onions, garlic, and bay leaves. After covering the pot with foil and putting on the lid, I put it into a 250°F oven for an about an hour–the basic technique from America’s Test Kitchen.

The chicken that came out was not photogenic, but tasty. Cooking the closed, steamy pot didn’t let me have the luxury of savoring the aroma of roasting chicken, but when I lifted the lid and took off the foil, the aroma was awesome.  Another bonus of this method is the juice that in the pan–strained and reduced it’s  wonderful to serve the chicken au jus. While not impressive for presentation, it takes the chicken to another level for comfort food.

This was a bird that had serious chicken flavor. Supermarket birds don’t hold a candle to this for richness. Admittedly pricy (but not overpriced for the quality), there will be several more meals off of this bird–and likely some soup too.  It can’t be my “everyday” chicken–that will still have to be the free-range or organic from the supermarket, but for a special treat I would certainly get another of these birds.