When you read the recipe, you’ll be dubious. There is no denying this is an odd combination of ingredients. But I promise you, this Chicken in Milk is seriously delicious. It is one of the best roast chickens I have ever had in my life. Ever.
To say that this is one of the best roast chickens I have ever had in my life is a big call, I know. That’s how good this is.
When you read the recipe, you’ll probably be as dubious as I was. “Lemon and milk? Surely that will curdle. And a cinnamon stick? This just sounds weird.”
I then took to Google out of curiosity to see if others had tried it. To my surprise, there were many and they raved about it! Quite a few even declared this to be the best chicken they’ve ever had. I can’t say that with my hand on my heart (it’s up against Southern Fried Chicken, Korean Chicken, Karaage….to name a few!), however, there is no doubt that this is one of the best chickens I have ever had. Possibly the best roast chicken I have ever had.
And it is so much easier than traditional roast chicken. Virtually foolproof. Insanely juicy, flavour infused chicken every single time.
What It Tastes Like
The chicken is baked for 1.5 hours in the braising liquid so it is really tender. Not “fall apart” tender, but it’s not a roast for carving. It’s more for tearing bits off.
Because it is baked uncovered for most of the time, the skin comes out lovely and crispy on top. The braising liquid, which reduces down to a sauce, is truly incredible. It infuses into the chicken and reduces down into what I call “liquid gold”. There’s a hint of cinnamon fragrance, garlic, subtle lemon freshness and the muskiness of sage, all mixed through the chicken juice. The garlic is a treat in itself. Cooked until soft, I pop them straight out the skin straight into my mouth. If there are any leftover, I spread it onto toast – best treat ever!
I was convinced the milk and lemon would end up as a curdled mess, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The milk dissolves into little bits of curd which might look a bit odd at first glance but when you take a bite, it’s almost like little tiny bits of bocconcini or buffalo mozarrella cheese. I wanted more of it!
In conclusion, I’m pretty certain that this is going to be my “go to” recipe when I have whole chickens to cook. It is ridiculously easy to make, with the hardest part being the browning of the chicken (I’ve provided a few tips that I picked up when I was doing it).
So without further ado, here’s the recipe!
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Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk {Seriously Delish}
Ingredients
- 3 - 3.5 lb / 1.5 - 1.8 kg whole chicken
- 2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- Black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 stick cinnamon
- 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves
- 2 lemons , zest only (avoid grating the pith which is bitter)
- 10 cloves of garlic , whole, skin on
- 2 1/4 cups milk (I used low fat)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
- Wash the chicken under water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Sprinkle over the salt and 5 grinds of black pepper and pat all over the chicken, concentrating on the top and sides.
- Heat oil in a heavy based pot over high heat. (Note 1)
- Brown the chicken all over as best you can. I find the easiest way to do this (and minimising skin tearing) is with tongs stuck in the rear of the chicken and a wooden spoon to lift and leverage the chicken. Tilt the chicken as required to brown as much of the skin as you can. (Note 2)
- If you can manage it (or if you have a helper), pour the excess fat out of the pot with the chicken still in it. If you can't, remove the chicken onto a plate, then drain the fat.
- Add the remaining ingredients into the pot (return the chicken to the pot if you removed it).
- Bake covered for 40 minutes, then bake uncovered for 50 minutes (1.5 hrs in total).
- Let stand for 5 minutes or so before removing the chicken from the pot onto a serving plate. Serve the sauce on the side. I prefer not to strain it because I want the bits of curd and garlic on my chicken, as well as bits of sage.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Hi Nagi, I had to go and watch JO’s video to find out what to do with the lemons because you don’t mention using any juice in the recipe.
I am cooking this right now and looking forward to tasting it!
My daughter can’t have garlic as she is under a low fodmap diet due to IBS. I used garlic and onion infused olive oil (allowed on low fodmap) to brown the chicken so some flavour will be imparted.
Could I do this in the slow cooker ?
Hi Nagi. Can you make this on a stovetop as well? My oven decided not to warm up today and I really feel like making this again. Previous times in oven was amazing, but now I’m without the oven.
Yum! I had a bottle of milk to use, and wanted something savoury. This hit the spot beautifully, fork tender chicken with a lovely lingering after-taste. So good. Will definitely make again
Do you think this would work with a turkey? Longer cooking time obviously
Hi, do I need to bast the chicken when it’s uncovered?
HOLY MOLY this recipe! I will never cook a chicken any other way- seriously easy and seriously delicious! (Sorry other recipe where you stuff the skin with herby butter, but it’s true!)
Cool this for your friends and family and they will never forget it ✌️
Hi Nagi, thanks for this recipe. I’ve got 2 questions. If the chicken is about 1.3kg, what adjustments do I have to make to the recipe? Can I use a wok for browning the chicken then bake it using Corningware? Thank you!
The timing would be fairly similar – maybe slightly less. I don’t recommend browning in a wok unless you have a really heavy one as the skin is likely to burn. N x
Made this several times and it is now my only way of roasting chicken. The leg meat stays succulent making it more edible than traditional roasting and I find that I also use more of the whole bird such as for sandwich meat. Basically no dry bits!
Having missed out the sage or garlic bulbs (replaced with a tablespoon of minced) a couple of times as I didn’t have them, it seems the lemon peel and cinnamon are the real carriers of flavour. That said the bulbs are delicious as a spread with chicken on turkish bread!
For those wondering about a dairy free option, I did this with Soy Milk. Turned out exactly as described: moist chicken and lots of curds.
Thanks so much, this is exactly what I came to the comments for!
Would u use a cast iron pot for this recipe ?
We had this tonight for the second time and it was amazing! So juicy and delicious. The sauce is wonderful and my kids wanted to drink it off their plates. Thank you for your fantastic recipes.
I really want to try this tonight. I have oat milk or whipping cream that I can use (or coconut milk). Which one do you think would work better?
Ok, so I’m not a very good cook and I rely on your videos 100% but when I saw that this was a Jamie Oliver recipes I thought, why not! It was absolutely wonderful! I really loved the tenderness of the chicken! I made it without sage, cause I didn’t he a any, and put oregano instead. And the garlic!!!! With roasted sweet and white potatoes and green peas!! DELICIOUS
Thanks! N x
OMG. That was delicious. Even my fussy father said it was delicious. I Will make again. Mum asked for the re pie too.
Always happy to please the fussy parents! N x
What blew me away is the simplicity of this dish. And for that the outcome is something to rave on. Maybe I’ll try spatchcock and some risotto to plate it with to make it a full meal. Your recipes are awesome and this is probably the 3rd one I tried.
This is so delicious!!! It will be part of the rotation for sure.
Hi Nagi
If I dry-brine the chicken 1 day before, will the result be better?
It’s super tender here – there really isn’t a need to dry brine for this one! N x
Could I use almond milk in this recipe in replace of regular milk?
Not for this one sorry Michelle! N x