How to Slow Cook a Whole Chicken

This article will show you a tasty and easy way to slow cook a whole chicken using a braising technique. It will also give suggestions regarding what to serve with the chicken. It is simple and easy to adjust, after you've made it once. The recipe itself is an Alsatian inspired dish.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dutch Oven or large, heavy bottomed pot
• 1 whole 3 lb. chicken, quartered
• 1 1/2 cups Riesling wine
• 1/2 cup Cognac
• Butter
• Olive oil
• 1 large shallot
• 1 1/2 cup white mushrooms
• Flour
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Prep the Chicken. If you can, have the butcher quarter it for you. It doesn't cost extra, and it ensures a fresher product every single time.

2. Sear the chicken. Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil in your dutch oven over medium high heat (if you don't have a dutch oven, use a large, heavy bottomed pot). Once the butter is melted and beginning to brown and froth, add two pieces of the chicken, skin side down. Let the chicken brown for four or five minutes, then turn over to the other side for the same amount of time. Set the chicken aside on a plate covered with aluminum foil, and repeat with the rest of the chicken. You may need to add a bit more butter and oil for the second go round.

3. Start the braise. Finely dice the shallot. Lower the heat of the dutch oven to medium, add another tablespoon of olive oil and toss in the shallot. Let it cook for a couple minutes, until translucent. Once the shallot is cooked, turn the heat back up to medium high and add the mushroom. Mushrooms need to cook over high heat, because of the large amount of water they give off. Stir occasionally for four or five minutes, until the mushrooms have reduced in size by half, are browning on both sides and the liquid has evaporated. At this point, pull the dutch oven off of the burner and add the cognac. Tip the pot toward you slightly so the liquid is closer to the edge and ignite the cognac with a long match.

4. Braise the Chicken. Add the Riesling to the pot and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up and browned bits on the bottom of the dutch oven. In a separate small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon butter and mash together with the tines of a fork until it is a paste that is clay-like. Stir in the flour-butter mixture until it is completely melted and incorporated. Put the pieces of chicken back into the pot, cover and reduce the heat to low. The chicken will slow cook, or braise, for one and a half hours.

5. Serve. Once the chicken is finished slow cooking, remove from heat and plate, either family style or on individual plates. The sauce in the pot can be used as gravy to pour over the chicken and its accompaniments. Serve immediately with buttered noodles or schpetzle and creamed peas.

Tips & Warnings

• If you can, use an Alsatian Riesling in the cooking of the chicken and save some for the table. The Riesling will match well with the chicken once its cooked, as well.
• The reason behind using both butter and olive oil is that butter has the creamy flavor desired for this dish, but has a very low smoke point; that is to say, it burns easily. By adding olive oil, the butter will be able to withstand more heat, but you still get the flavor benefits of it.
• The cognac must be added while the pan is off the heat, otherwise the alcohol could ignite before you want it to. Let the cognac burn off and reduce the heat to medium again.

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