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Pot roast has been a beloved comfort food for generations, but sometimes you don't want to shell out for a beef roast, or perhaps you're just in the mood for chicken. Well, it turns out the same basic pot roast recipe formula can easily be iterated on and turned into a chicken alternative that is every bit as homey and satisfying. Whole chickens, or even chicken thighs, are perfect for slowly roasting and braising, giving off plenty of rendered fat and juice that'll contribute to a succulent, light gravy at the bottom of the pan, while the meat becomes sliceable (or shreddable) and tender. It's like the child of a French roast chicken and classic American pot roast, but even easier to pull off than the former and more affordable than the latter.
If you know beef pot roast well, there isn't much of a learning curve to this substitute. A chicken pot roast can be made in either a Dutch oven or slow cooker. However, the Dutch oven is a nice option because of the easy browning you can achieve on the meat and vegetables, which will add so much extra flavor to the dish. All you need to do is sear the chicken and then the vegetables, before placing the meat back over the bed of veggies. Next, pour in some broth and wine to deglaze the pot roast, along with some aromatics, and let it braise. If you don't want to go through the trouble of browning a whole chicken, you can also just do the vegetables, and cook the roast uncovered in a Dutch oven for a bit to encourage browning.
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Chicken pot roast is a quick, hearty, and affordable alternative to beef
Braised in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, a whole chicken will be perfectly tender in an hour if it was browned, or about an hour and a half if it wasn't. Chicken thighs will be done in as little as a half hour. The braising liquid and juices should have formed a delicious gravy, but if it's not quite as thick as you like you can always remove the chicken and let it rest while you cook down the sauce, adding in a little butter to give it some richness and help it to emulsify.
As for the flavors of chicken pot roast, you'll only want to make a few changes from beef-based renditions; although the mild taste of the poultry also makes it pretty customizable. For a basic recipe, swap out the red wine for white, and use chicken broth instead of beef. Combined with herbs like thyme and tarragon, and a classic pot roast medley of onions, carrots, and potatoes, you'll get a simple and rich chicken gravy that's reminiscent of chicken pot pie.
Don't be afraid of mixing it up with your chicken pot roast, either. Stick with red wine, add mushrooms and rendered bacon to the pot, and you are basically making coq au vin. Using chicken also gives you the option to go a little lighter, as well. A few lemon halves with white wine, along with olives and some oregano, makes for a nice Mediterranean-style twist. Chicken pot roast is a versatile take on a classic, meaning you can come up with variations of the recipe for any time of the year.
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Read the original article on Tasting Table.
