# Crock Pot Help!



## DietitianInTraining (Feb 3, 2009)

Hey everyone,


I was wanting to make this chicken recipe for supper tonight, but just realized I don't have a roasting pan to cook it in(Dangit!!). Would it be the same if I just did it in my crock pot? If so, can I do it on High and have it still only take 1 1/2 - 2 hours? 

Here's the recipe i'm talking about:

Scott's Kitchen: Hamersley's Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Onions


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## Scotch (Feb 3, 2009)

I don't think it would be quite the same, nor quite as good as roasted in the oven. 

Don't you have a large glass or ceramic casserole that would hold the chicken? A lasagna dish? A big cake pan? A neighbor?


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## DietitianInTraining (Feb 3, 2009)

Hm, I have a glass lasagna dish, I think 13x9 or something, I would have to cover it with foil I guess, so you think that would work alright?


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## DietitianInTraining (Feb 3, 2009)

Like this? And cover with foil?


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## Saphellae (Feb 3, 2009)

Looks good to me ! Don't see why that wouldn't work. A pan is a pan lol


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## Scotch (Feb 3, 2009)

Perfect! The foil is optional -- it might make cleanup a bit easier, but glass pans are pretty easy to clean. Just don't try making the graving in a glass pan -- transfer the juices to a large sauce pan or small frying pan. Glass, even Pyrex, can break if you put it on the direct heat of the stove.


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## Scotch (Feb 3, 2009)

beginner_chef said:


> Like this? And cover with foil?


That's one big mama chicken! The recipe calls for a 3½ pounder, but that looks like 5 or 6 pounds to me. Not a problem, but to may take a little more time to cook.


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## DietitianInTraining (Feb 3, 2009)

Well... about the gravy. I kinda messed up. You know how it said to mix the mustard and juice from half a lemon and seasonings? It said to rub on the chicken, then put the reserved lemon half inside the cavity.... Well, I accidently squeezed the other lemon half inside the cavity instead... So when I go to make the gravy/juice do you think I can still just add the 1/2 cup of water and see what happens?..... lol


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## Scotch (Feb 3, 2009)

WAIT! The foil, if you use it, goes in the BOTTOM of the pan. You don't want to cover the chicken with foil while it's roasting.


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## Scotch (Feb 3, 2009)

Yeah, not a problem. Just throw the lemon rind in the cavity. It should have plenty of lemon flavor, and the water should be OK. Or use a little white wine.


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## DietitianInTraining (Feb 3, 2009)

Yeah... I couldn't find one smaller than this one. It's 5 lbs... So might take 2 hours then...


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## Scotch (Feb 3, 2009)

Big chickens roast up nicely! And you can carve the breasts like a turkey.


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## Scotch (Feb 3, 2009)

Here's a similar recipe that my family likes a lot. I modified and expanded on the instructions to make it easier for my daughter, who isn't all that experienced in the kitchen. It may give you a few useful hints and ideas. 

_*ROSEMARY ROAST CHICKEN WITH
ONION-GARLIC GRAVY
*_
1 whole chicken (about 3½ pounds)
1½ tablespoons olive oil
4 medium onions, cut in large chunks (3 really large onions will do)
1 lemon, cut in quarters, seeds removed
2 fresh rosemary sprigs (about 6 inches each)
8 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1½ cups chicken broth (unsalted canned is fine)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (yes, I mean 450).

Remove and discard the giblets, rinse the chicken, pat dry and remove excess fat from around the tail area.

Rub the chicken inside and out with ½ tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper inside and out.

Stuff the cavity with about ½ to 1 of the chopped onions, 2 wedges of lemon, a sprig of rosemary, and 4 garlic cloves; close cavity with toothpicks to keep veggies inside.

Use a bit of the remaining olive oil to grease the bottom of a glass baking dish. Place the remaining onions and garlic in the dish. Drizzle the remaining oil over the onions.

Place the bird breast down on the onion mixture; squeeze juice of another quarter of the lemon over the chicken.

Roast for about 20 minutes per pound. Check the onion mixture; if it starts to blacken or stick, add a bit of the chicken broth.

After 30 minutes, turn the chicken breast side up and add ¼ to ½ cup chicken broth to the onion mixture. 

Return pan to the oven and roast until the meat in the thickest part of the leg just loses its pinkness. Add a bit more of the chicken broth if onions start to dry out.

Remove the chicken to a platter.

Scrape the onion mixture into a medium sauce pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the leaves from the remaining rosemary (discard stem) to taste. Squeeze in the juice of the remaining lemon quarter. Puree with a hand blender, adding remaining broth if the gravy is too thick. Bring pureed mixture to a boil to meld flavors.

Cut the chicken in serving pieces and serve with the gravy.

(NOTE: if you don’t have a hand blender, which is also called a wand or immersion blender, put onion mixture and other ingredients in a food processor or regular blender, puree, then transfer to sauce pan.)


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## DietitianInTraining (Feb 3, 2009)

Wow Scotch, that sounds good.. I will have to try that sometime. Hopefully this one wont be a disaster! It's smelling good though..


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## Scotch (Feb 3, 2009)

beginner_chef said:


> Wow Scotch, that sounds good.. I will have to try that sometime. Hopefully this one wont be a disaster! It's smelling good though..


To tell you the truth, unless you overcook it, you really can't screw up a roast chicken too much. 

In his truly great cookbook, _Glorious French Food,_ James Peterson says that when he's feeling lazy or rushed and doesn't want to make a big to-do in the kitchen, "I roast a chicken, my equivalent of a TV dinner." He "puts the chicken in a 450 degree oven for 50 minutes until the skin's crispy and brown and the juices that accumulate in the cavity are no longer pink, and I serve and eat."

I see that he does put a foil tent on the great for the first 20 minutes, but I don't think that essential if you're using a temperature of 400.


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