Clay Pot Baked Chicken Recipe

"Help! Attempting to roast a chicken for the First time Tonight using a clay pot roaster. I usually do this in a cast iron. If I add butter under and on top of the skin, will the skin crisp up in the clay pot with that lid on? Also, I have a 5.5lb chicken and want to add carrots and potatoes, would 90 min still be sufficient? based on reviews I was leaning towards roasting at 400 degrees."

"Also, I omit the parsley, add 4-5 cloves of crushed garlic to the cavity, and add halved carrots and yukon gold potatoes around the chicken."

"I have made this recipe dozens of times, its the best roast chicken recipe I use. I add a quartered lemon and thyme sprigs to the cavity along with a quartered onion, then I loosen the skin from the breast and rub butter under it for a nice crispy skin."

"So, this was my first ever attempt to cook chicken using a clay pot ever. What can I say - Wow, just wow!!! Thank you so much for this recipe and an idea. I made it tonight, but... with lots of changes. I didn`t just follow strict recipe as I used chicken wings instead of whole chicken as it`s only three of us in a family (so, whole chicken would be too much for one dinner). Following this, first I seasoned chicken wings with soy sauce, black & red pepper, onion and garlic powder, rosemary, parsley, lemon seed, salt & pepper, (ziplog bag works really well for it to refrigerate for 30 minutes). Then, fried onion and garlic (2 tsp veg. oil) adding broccoli, carrot and celery, simmered a little bit with 1/4 cup of water added- like 4-5 minutes, then put half of them at the bottom of my soaked clay pot, lined all wings on them, and topped with the rest of veggies. 90 minutes in the oven just as it was in a recipe direction. Of course, made some gravy for it. Sides were twice baked potato and green bean casserole. Yummy!!!!!! My 13-y.o. daughter says she will not accept any other chicken version except this fall-off-bone chicken wings. This is going to be one of my "should have" dinner menu."

"I am glad I read the reviews before making this recipe. I haven't used my clay pot much so I would probably have made some of the same mistakes. I baked at 400 degrees and removed it from the pot and let it rest on a platter when it was done. It turned out excellent!"

"A comment on why Leebay's chicken was overcooked. Clay pots retain heat extremely well. As mentioned, if you let the chicken cool in the pot this could have been the problem, especially if the top was left on or left in the oven after it was turned off. When the chicken is done I immediately remove it to a cutting board to rest and then get the veggies and whatever juices are in the bottom."

"I have cooked variations of this recipe at least ten times, using two different ovens. Every time the chicked is moist, especially the breasts - that's why I use the clay pot. I always cook at 450, in part because I have a Romertopf clay baker and they recommend 450 degrees. I do two things differently - I soak for 20 minutes and I rub the outside of the chicken with oil. My variations include adding cut potatoes and carrots around the chicken, occasionally some white wine, and a variety of ingregients for the cavity, depending on what I have handy. Adding fresh herbs, garlic, celery, onion, etc tends to flavor the juices I use to make a gravy, either a traditional one with butter and flour or just au juice. Sometimes I put thick slices of onion or potatoes under the chicken to raise it off the bottom so it does not sit in it's own juices. The basic recipe given here is a winner. Try meatloaf in the clay pot-it's incredible."

"Leebay, just wanted you to know that I did adjust the cooking temperature slightly for this recipe. I lowered it to 425 degrees because in our reference material for this recipe it did indicate a cooking temperature between 425 and 450 degrees. If you followed the recipe by soaking the clay pot and starting with a cold oven, the chicken should not have dried out. Leaving it in the clay pot to cool did probably assist in drying your chicken out because of heat that the clay pot retains. The chicken continued to cook until the pot cooled down. The recipe indicates to leave it in the clay pot to serve it but thinking it was to be served immediately and that the pot would keep it warm as you ate. I realize you probably don't trust the recipe to try it again but I just thought I would pass on my thoughts."

"I just had to add to my review after doing a little homework on the temp and time this recipe recommended. Thinking this is what overcooked the chicken. This recipe says cook chicken at 450 for and hour and a half. A highly reviewed clay pot chicken recipe at the Emeril site for honey roasted lemon chicken says to bake at 400 for about the same time as this recipe, about an hour and a half. No wonder it was dry. Too high a temp at the time suggested. Do your homework on time and temp for cooking chicken in a clay pot before following this recipe. Unless you don't mind slightly moist, way overcooked chicken. Which I think is yuck."

"Fixed this tonight and following directions to a T. Chicken was WAY overcooked and breast meat extremely over done. I did let it cool in the clay pot since serving in the pot was suggested. Maybe if I'd removed the chicken before it cooled, the result wouldn't have been so dry. Consider the stuffing with onion and parsley a waste of taste and money. I would not cook in a clay pot using this recipe again."

"We had this last weekend and it was very moist and good!"