Brine the chicken at least 3 hours or overnight. Pat dry the Chicken inside and out. Tie the legs.

In a large frypan melt the butter and fry the chicken to brown the skin all over for 5 minutes.

Transfer all the butter and the Chicken on its back to a 4L pot
Peel and halve 1 onion and set both halves into the pot
Tie the Parsley stems and Thyme sprigs together and set into the pot. Add in the bay leaf and peppercorns.
Cover and cook over a simmering heat for 50 minutes. Shake the pot occassionally to prevent sticking.
Check with a thermometer for desired temp (60°) in the thigh remembering it will rise at least 4°- 6° while resting. Overcooked is better than undercooked. In fact you can overcook it by quite a long way. No problem.

Slice 1 onion into rings. Slice the pepper into rings removing the seeds and core. Quarter the Tomatoes and sprinkle with salt.

Remove the chicken from the pot and rest on a warmed platter at least 20 minutes.

Strain the liquid from the pot into a small saucepan and add in the tomato paste and wine. Bring to a simmer. Then add in the flour mixture till the desired consistency is acheived. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Fry the onion rings in butter and set along and under the side of the chicken. Leave a little crispness.
Fry the pepper rings in butter and set over the onions.
Fry the tomatoes in a dry non stick pan and and set over the peppers. Aim for a nice char
Pour the sauce over the chicken and make a sauce well at one end.

Serve with Milanese Rice and Creamed Spinach.

1.35kg Chicken (brined)
120g Salted Butter
1 medium onion
5g Thyme Sprigs
5g Parsley Stems
1 Bay Leaf
6 Peppercorns

1 Large onion
1 Green Pepper
4 Medium Tomatoes
Salted Butter for Frying

3 Tbs Tomato Paste
1 cup Lambrusco white wine
2 Tbs Flour mixed in a little water



The better the chicken the better the result, right. But an out of date, well aged $6.95 chicken marked down to $2.90 and cooked that night worked just great. Tender from the ageing and brine, moist from the cooking style and flavourful from the herbs and sauce. Fall off the bone, juicy and delicious. Best chicken I might have cooked.

Pushing along my skills with the Spanish Mexican style of cooking I recently adapted this recipe from a 1970's cookbook and its a winner. A very different texture and flavour from an oven roasted chicken. The sauce is very flavourful. The tomato, onion and pepper accompianment really take you to Spain. Use milanese rice and creamed spinach as your vegetables and it is a combination made in heaven. 

The idea is to partially fry and steam the chicken in its own juices. The flavours from the herbs and the juices from the chicken and onion then form the basis of the sauce. So its important not to remove the lid during cooking. You should end up with a good cup or more of juices for the sauce.

The result is a really juicy moist meat with a soft texture embedded with great flavour. I think a better texture than a cacciatore (which is stewed) and more moist than a roast chicken. And its not something I have ever had off a restaurant menu. So a bit unusual and surprisingly good for a Sunday dinner.