Sometimes you know you have a busy afternoon planned so you want dinner to cook itself. And so it can with Granny’s Slow-baked Chicken. This is a dead easy way to cook a chicken while you have a sleep, or go jogging, or whatever else turns you on.

The other day was such a day. Marie-Danielle and I wanted to go looking for a new bathroom cabinet but we had guests coming to dinner. No problem… after a Tomato and Mozzarella Salad (ready in less than 10 minutes), we dug into a corn fed farm-raised chicken so juicy and tender, it could have won prizes in any juicy and tender chicken competition!

While we were out looking for our bathroom cabinet (which we didn’t find!) I slow-baked the bird in one of those German clay pots called Römertopf (don’t worry, the recipe allows you to use other casserole-style pots, particularly a cast iron Dutch Oven). Into the pot went whole garlic cloves, a quartered lemon, and fresh herbs from an amazing nearby outlet called ‘Grand Frais’ which specialises in fresh and seasonal produce.

Even before we served the chicken, our guests were salivating at the aromas coming from the kitchen. After the tomato salad, I took care of the carving and brought the platter of chicken portions to the table with sides of mashed potatoes and Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries. The chicken also gave out a gravy boat of golden brown cooking juices, in which the softened garlic cloves were paddling about, ready to have their pungent-sweet pulp smooched out and used as a condiment.

Our guests declared that the chicken was hands-down the best they’d ever had. I have trouble deciding whether my chicken was really as good as that, but it was pretty close, and I have a feeling that Granny’s Slow-baked Chicken will make frequent appearances on our menu. It is an extremely easy and foolproof recipe since the chicken cooks in its own steam and at such a low temperature, there is no risk of it overcooking or drying out. All you really need is good ingredients and time.