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:
Simon Van Duffelen says
I ruined it. I thought this sounds so good I wondered if putting it in the slow cooker would enhance it. The recipe I emalgamted said to cook it for one hour on high and seven hours on low. Well even though I had a big 41/2 pound bird. it was chicken soup in the end. I will try again though.
Nagi says
Oh no! I hope you give it another shot! – N x
Pat Kestner says
This is the easiest, best tasting and most tender chicken recipe I have ever made. Loved it!
Mary D says
Sounds good will have a go Thanks🤗
May says
What a simple but tasty and interesting recipe. I had no problem browning the chicken. I did clean the pot after the browning step, as it was pretty grimey. The leftover chicken was GREAT!
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it May!
de says
We loved this the first time, even though I muffed up the browning part! I’m trying it again with a tiny, almost game hen sized chicken that was given to me. It fits in a saucepan! I’ve reduced the milk and seasonings and am cutting the total oven time to an hour. I hope it’s as good as the bigger one.
Johanna says
We made this last night and I messed up a bit: I wasn’t sure if the oven temp, 190, was supposed to be fan forced or not. I ended up setting it up on fan forced and when time was up there was just the curdled milk left, no juices and the chook was a tad dry. My own fault ! Next time I’ll reduce the temp 🙂
None the less the flavours were yummy! I made your crispy smashed potatoes too and we thought they went well with the chicken.
PS: between the four of us (2 adults, 2 children) we ate the whole 1.5kg chicken!
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Johanna! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x ❤️
dorothy says
It sounds wonderful – but – is there a dairy-free version? Would soy milk or coconut milk work? I’m so anxious to try it but can’t have cow’s milk.
Wynn says
I have seen a recipe for this chicken using coconut milk, so it must work, I’d imagine. It might have been a slow cooker recipe, but I can’t recall for sure. Otherwise, I think, the ingredients were the same or similar, also.
Milk chicken is one of my favorites, and I’m sure I’d like it with coconut milk, too. I sometimes make it using just split chicken breasts, or a mixed pack of legs & thighs, if the urge for it strikes and those are all that I have in the fridge. I go full-bore decadent, browning it in butter and using whole milk, but it’s the garlic, lemon, and sage flavors that make it so good! There is never anything left behind, except bones–it’s That good!
Karen says
I just wanted to let you know I made your recipe and I switched it up a second time with coconut milk and lime and it was fantastic thank you, my family loved both.
dorothy says
Ah, excellent! Thank you, I will definitely try it.
Pam says
Hello Dorothy. I can’t have milk either, so your question about the coconut milk took the words right out of my mouth. LOL! My question is, have you tried it with coconut milk yet? If so, how did it turn out?
Nagi says
I’m afraid I don’t know for this one Dorothy, sorry! 🙂 N x
Cathy says
Delicious! Moist & tender. And once I got past the curdled look of the gravy/yummy juices it was all good!
Thanks Nagi x
Nagi says
That’s wonderful to hear Cathy! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed this! N xx
Alex says
Would it be possible to substitute lemon zest for lemon juice- since we only have the bottled lemon juice?
Connie says
Could this be done in a slow cooker instead of the oven?
Nagi says
Pretty sure it can Connie! I’d do 6 hours on low 🙂
margie langille says
I am curious…could I adjust this recipe for a 10 lb chicken?
hellogorgeous says
I always use a 5-6 lb. chicken and it cooks in the same amount of time so I would adjust accordingly.
Corliss Searcey says
OMG!! I love this chicken recipe. Could we cook the Christmas turkey this way? What would the proportions be? Thanks, Nagi. Absolutely love your recipes.
Corliss
Nagi says
Gosh YES!!! But will it fit????
Tiana @ yumofchina.com says
Wow, I like the chicken recipe. Just can’t wait to make this. It seems that you used the whole chicken, can I use one half instead?
Nagi says
Hi Tiana! That will work fine, just half the liquid etc 🙂 N x
John Ford says
Very nice indeed. I note that Jamie Oliver uses butter as well as oil to brown the chicken, and I will do that next time. Also, I used tarragon instead of sage, and it worked very well.
Nagi says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it John! Yes add butter if you want, I didn’t feel it needed it and didn’t notice any butter flavour so I don’t use it anymore. 🙂
Ron Miller says
Trying this crazy chicken milk cinnamon pot tomorrow night and was wondering if adding some mushrooms would work or take away from the lemon zest/cinnamon vibe?
Nagi says
I think it will go perfectly with this crazy recipe! 🙂
Miranda says
I agree Jamie’s recipe is great and thanks for sharing. I have one constructive criticism though which is not to tell people to wash the chicken please. This is not necessary and can be harmful which the NHS and all other guidelines will also clearly state to never wash raw meat.
Jennifer Stringfellow says
I made this tonight, love the crazy combo of ingredients! Looking forward to Friday Pad Thai with lettuce wraps! New to your site, and so pleased with it! Looking forward to all these new recipes!
Nagi says
Hi Jennifer! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it, thank you for letting me know! It IS a crazy combo, isn’t it? But it WORKS! N xx
AstridinCuracao says
I have made this recipe three times in the last three months. Even my husband loved it.
The last time I did not have lemons, so I substituted the lemon zest for dried grapefruit zest and a dash of vinegar.
It tasted almost better.
Nagi says
I’m so pleased to hear that, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Sze says
Hi Nagi – made this tonight. The chicken roasted perfectly! Very moist and succulent.
However, the braising liquid seemed to lacked depth. (too milky and whitish, unlike the sauce in your photos). Should I reduce the amount of milk separately once the chicken is done, until the milk reduces substantially? Not sure what I missed, but I think I followed the recipe religiously.
Nagi says
Hi Sze! I’m sorry you thought the liquid lacked depth, there’s only 2 and a bit cups of milk in it which is not very much so other than that, it is all chicken juices + flavourings so it should be very flavourful! Did you add the salt??
Sze says
Thanks for the prompt response, Nagi! I did add salt, but maybe it needs a little bit more. I’m making this again tonight (I’m determined to nail this recipe because the chicken roasted so incredibly well!), and will add more salt and brown the chicken more. Wish me luck! 🙂
G says
Just found this recipe and had a go. I had the same problem — I reckon it might be due to me using a crockpot and its lid. The moisture gets sealed in too well. Will use a different pot/foil in future if I do remake the recipe.
Jemayma says
Hello Nagi, i was thinking of this for weekend. Can i substitute the fresh sage to dry ones? If yes,how much dried sage i need to put?Can’t go out toshopping these days as kids not so well because of the weather?.. Thank you x(im excited to try this)?
Nagi says
Hi Jemayma! I think that will be just fine 🙂 I’d use 1 tsp of dried sage as it’s much more intense than fresh. I do hope the kids are feeling better ❤️