As Jamie Oliver, I’m delighted to give you something I absolutely love to eat, one of my all-time favorite recipes, which is this beautiful whole chicken that is simmered and cooked very slowly in milk with warming cinnamon, beautiful lemon zest and aromatic sage. This is an unusual but oh-so moreish dish that creates impossibly tender, melt-in-your-mouth poultry. Whether you’re after a comforting Sunday roast or something a little special for when people come to stay, this Jamie Oliver Chicken in Milk Recipe is sure to become a firm fixture in your family’s repertoire.
Why This Dish Works
The magic of this particular dish is all in how the milk cooks, softly curdling around the chicken to form a rustic, savory sauce amped up with citrus and subtle heat. The flavors combine into something more than the parts: moist, tasty meat and a tangy, even sweet sauce that cries out to be mopped up with crusty bread or fluffy mashed potatoes.
Quick Chicken in Milk Recipe by Jamie Oliver
Ingredients
- 1 whole free-range chicken (approx 1.5 kg / 3.3 lb)
- Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil or unsalted butter (for sautéing)
- ½ stick of cinnamon
- 1 handful of fresh sage leaves
- Peel of 2 lemons (a vegetable peeler avoids the bitter pith)
- 10 unpeeled cloves of garlic
- About 565 ml (just over a pint) of whole milk
Instructions
Preheat & Prep
- The oven is fine at 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Dry the chicken with kitchen paper and season the inside and outside generously with salt and pepper.
Brown the Bird
- In a snug-fitting casserole pot or Dutch oven, pour in a glug of olive oil or a knob of butter and heat over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken on all sides, until they are all a glorious deep gold — this also builds layers of flavor in the end.
Drain & Add Flavors
- Tip off any excess oil or butter, leaving just a spoonful in the pot. I usually add the cinnamon stick, sage leaves, lemon zest, and garlic cloves. Gently pour in the milk. Don’t be alarmed if it looks a bit separated while it’s cooking — that’s by design; it should curdle into a luscious sauce.
Further Chicken in Milk Recipe Instructions
Slow & Steady in the Oven:
Put a lid on the pot and place it in the preheated oven for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Halfway through, take off the lid to let the chicken’s top brown a little and the sauce tighten up.
Rest & Serve:
When the chicken is cooked through (the juices run clear and a meat thermometer reads at least 75°C/165°F in the thickest part), take it out of the oven. Rest for 10-15 minutes, then carve. Serve with the curdled-milk sauce spooned liberally over the meat, with veg, mashed potatoes, or a simple green salad.
You’ll end up with juicy, fragrant meat and a sauce so good you’ll want to lap it up with a spoon. I always turn to this Classic Jamie Oliver Chicken in Milk Recipe when I want to impress guests with minimal work.
Yummy!