Diana Henry’s chicken pot-roasted in milk, bay and nutmeg

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/ gas 4. On the hob, heat the butter and olive oil in a lidded ovenproof pan that can hold the chicken. Season the bird with salt and pepper, tie the legs together if you want, then add to the pan and brown all over, using 2 big forks or wooden spoons to turn the chicken. Avoid piercing the skin and season as you go. Pour off the fat. (You can keep it to fry potatoes.)
2. Add the milk, garlic, bay leaves, nutmeg and lemon zest. Just before it boils, remove the pan from the heat. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes, removing the lid halfway through cooking. Baste occasionally, spooning the milk over the bird.
3. At the end of the cooking time the bird should be succulent and golden, and the juices copious and slightly curdled. Squash the garlic cloves with the back of a fork so they break down and flavour the juices. Taste: you may want to add an extra grating of nutmeg.
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4. Spoon the juices over the chicken and serve whichever starch you choose for a side dish (I love it with orzo or rice pilaf). The vegetable you choose will depend on the time of year. In winter it’s good with roast carrots, in summer simple roast tomatoes and a bitter leaf salad.

Recipe from Diana Henry’s A Bird in the Hand.