Oven-baked chicken in a salt crust

Prymitywna Kuchnia is on form today. Not only is there a new recipe, but there’s something baking in the oven… No, not this chicken; that was at the weekend. Today it’s guinea fowl pâté. Ha!

It’s the result of a sort of deal with my deputy, who promised to make our team a Czeladź cheesecake, which he fell head over heels in love with the moment he tasted it. A fairly simple deal: he’ll make the cheesecake if I bring pâté to the office. It was supposed to be duck pâté, but unfortunately I couldn’t buy a duck today. There was a guinea fowl, though. Its lucky day: straight into the pâté.

Honestly, even if he doesn’t make that cheesecake, my team deserves the pâté. What they put together for our office Christmas party was, I have to admit, absolutely faultless. It’s a fairly simple story, but an interesting one. I, the boss, that boss, often known as the bad boss… not that I’m bad, just that the boss is often the bad guy, sent an email inviting everyone to the office Christmas party. And I joked that each team should prepare a song to perform at the gathering. I gave them a choice of “Oj maluśki”, “Boys Boys Boys” and, obviously in that company, “Lambada”. They were to choose. My deputy, who is also head of IT, was to prepare an opening performance on a children’s xylophone — properly called a glockenspiel — and organise the equipment too.

It was a joke that took on a life of its own. When the first team claimed “Maluśki”, I began to suspect something was afoot. But what happened exceeded my expectations. We ended up with our own little “Poland’s Got Talent”, or “The Voice of Poland”. Just look: the equipment was professional, and my deputy had done his preparation too 🙂

There were also three performances, almost all of them professional. The even more professional jury eventually took matters into its own… mouths. I can say this with absolute conviction: with a team like that, I’d happily get into any pickle — or pâté!

And the chicken in today’s recipe… just watched and wrapped the presents in silver foil 😉 Highly recommended. I’ve got emotional all over again and lost my flow. Fortunately, the next Christmas party is nearly a year away.

At a glance:

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Baking time: 1 hour

Baking temperature: 200 degrees Celsius

Serves: the chicken can make 4–5 portions

Calories: have you got something against calories?

Ingredients for golden oven-roasted chicken:

• 1 large fresh chicken
• half a large lemon 
• half an apple 
• a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• plenty of fresh thyme
• freshly ground black pepper
• sweet paprika
• 1 kilogram of fine salt
• 3 egg whites
• salt
• oil for frying (preferably vegetable oil)

Recipe for chicken baked in a herb and salt crust:

Making this chicken is incredibly simple. The oven and frying pan do most of the work for us. But let’s start at the beginning.

First I made the salt mixture. I poured a kilogram of salt into a bowl, added the chopped herbs — thyme and rosemary — and 3 egg whites. I mixed everything thoroughly, using a mixer on a low speed.

I washed the chicken and rubbed it with salt, pepper and paprika. Inside, I put the half-lemon, first washed and scalded, then cut in half, and the half-apple, cut into two pieces. I placed the prepared chicken on an oven tray lined with baking paper.

I coated the chicken thoroughly with the salt mixture, making sure it was completely covered. I put it into an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius and baked it for exactly an hour.

After an hour, I took the chicken out. The crust should be hard and may be slightly browned. I broke it open and removed our little subject. I cut it into portions — legs, wings, and breasts with the back attached — and fried them in a frying pan for about 5–7 minutes. That’s all: incredibly simple. Juicy oven-baked chicken, ready to go.

I served it with classic mashed potatoes, peas, which I love, and sweet carrots with honey. Enjoy!