Lucullian delights
I think it sounds wonderful! I love thyme with chicken.
It looks and sounds very appetizing!
Paz
What a keen idea. Think I'll give it a try. I sometimes do my pork this way for tacos or enchilladas but now I'll try this for the bird.
Holy cow that chicken looks amazing, Ilva! I'm salivating over those photos..
xoxo
Mmm - lime instead of lemon inside a chicken? That's new to me, but I can imagine it tastes great. When I did the Scottish cock-a-leek soup in January, I was surprised how succulent the chicken was after simmering in a stock for 30 minutes. Crisping such a succulent bird in an oven can only improve it!!
I do something quite similar.......lime and thyme a favorite combination...tasty looking Ilva...thanks
I totally love your photography Ilva. I find your nature photo's profound. And that chicken looks sublime. Will definitely try it this week. Thanks
Sounds very unusual but excellent. I would love to try this.
This looks great (chicken tomorrow, kids! *g*), but I know I am much too lazy for this, escpecially since I own that oval enameled cast iron pot from IKEA (made in France, I suspect by Le Creuset, but at a quarter the price). I fill the chicken with lemon, lime or orange slices and cover the pot for the first 30 minutes at 200° breat down on some more citrus slices, uncover and turn the chicken and let it brown for another 20 minutes. Done.
Quite a feat, how you manage the chicken to look good on a colour picture: I am often taken aback at those blackened looking chicken in Gourmet magazine. 
Back in the day when chickens were still free range and lived a bit longer before the chop this was the only way you could prepare them.
The birds were so big, and so solid that they needed to be par-boiled before being roasted or prepared in any other way, otherwise they would take hours to cook and would dry out.
Your recipe looks wonderful and will most definitely be featured at a future Sunday dinner.
This one I'll definitely try. Thyme I already have on the window sill.
Oooh, I saw this picture on Flickr and came racing over for the recipe! The chicken looks delectably succulent and flavoursome - what a beautiful dish!
Lime and Thyme... how perfect!
This is a recipe that I will save. With a glass of pinot it will be just right.
How fabulous! Great technique.
Kalyn-thanks! Yes, aren't they good together!
Paz-and simple if you want no fuss food.
mooncrazy-Thanks! Now I have to try it with meat too but I think I'll look it up in an old Italian cook book to see if I find any interesting ways to do it!
lisa-Thanks! but cover up the keyboard!
Pille- We eat boiled chicken rqther often and I find it a really great way to both get a nice meal AND a great stock! I have to take a look at the dish you mention! Thanks!
doodles-you have to post your recipe, I'm curious!
Colleen-Thank you very much!
Tanna-if you ever stay at home more than 30 minutes... nah, I'm just envious because you get around so much and I'm stuck here!
Merisi-Do you really think they are made by Creuset? Hmm, if that is the case I better buy one. Well I would buy one if the work well even without any Creuset connection-do they? And thanks!
Robert-Thanks! Yes I think that must be one of the reasons to why they used to do it here in Italy back then!
Eszter-there you are! Nice to see you around, did my jokes on your posts hurt your feelings, I'm sorry if that is the case, I can be like a panzer sometimes!
Ellie-ever so sweet! Thanks!
sandi-just tell me and I will join you!
Cookiecrumb-thanks, I feel honoured!
Those IKEA pots are "Made in France", that is for sure. They work splendidly, at 45 Euros (if I ever manage to get to Ikea again, I'll buy a second one, too good). There are good looking ones out there from China, but no, thanks. Never.
Ilva & Robert:
One other historic reason for this method may have been that people didn't have baking ovens in their homes (usually only an open hearth). They used to prepare and/or precook food at home, and carry it to the village bakery once the bread had finished baking for the day, using the remaining heat to bake their individual meals.
That sounds delicious! Your pictures look divine!
What a clever way to make roast chicken out of a tougher bird! Nowadays chickens are rarely tough but this looks delicious and I'm intrigued with the method. Goes right on my "to be tried"-list.
merisi-ok, I'll get one! And yes, that is another explanation but I think that the travellers were complaining about 'restaurant' food.
Kristen-Thanks, nice as usual!
honeybee-great! I'm flattered!
I'll bet you money that this originally was used to get a little stock as well as a roasted chicken. What a great idea!
Ilva, what a wealth of posts! Great interview too. I will need the whole of June to catch up, hardly having the time now. I realize that blogging also needs enough quiet time. Have a great month of May.
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