TL;DR
- Marinate the chicken overnight in the regrigerator;
- Place it in a tall pyrex/oven-safe glass container;
- Add mushrooms and olives;
- Add milk;
- Add butter;
- Add panko/breadcrumbs;
- Cook for 40 minutes to an hour at 180C/350F.
This recipe I picked up from my wife. I wish I’d known about it before, as it’s one of my favorites. I’ve only used chicken thighs, wings or the occasional drumstick, but if you want to use the breast, it might actually turn out juicy instead of that horribly dry and tough piece of meat (but to each their own, right?). Also, for best results, the skin stays on.
Marinading the Chicken
Everything tastes like chicken, or so they say. Except chicken that’s been marinated overnight. The process is simple:
- Make multiple stabs in the pieces of chicken with a sharp fork or the tip of a knife. This is so that the marinade will better penetrate the meat;
- Place them in a tupperware container or a zip-lock bag;
- Add a generous amount of olive oil, some salt and your favorite spices. I only add garlic when it’s not date night. Ginger is also great. You can use a mortar and pestle to macerate them;
- Close the lid or zip the bag and shake it well to mix everything;
- Leave it in the fridge until about an hour before cooking.
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F or allow an extra 10 minutes of baking time.
While it is preheating, chop the mushrooms into smallish pieces. If you’d like to add potatoes, wash them well and also chop them into small pieces so that they cook evenly in the amount of time it takes for the chicken to be done. Peeling them is optional if you wash them well.
I was especially adventurous one day and had some carrots that needed using. It sweetened the dish overall, so I will not be doing that again ;-).
Place the chicken in a pyrex/oven safe glass container. I recommend glass containers because they’re easier to clean than metal. This is a dish that really tends to stick to the sides.
Drizzle some more olive oil over the chicken, and fill the empty spots with the mushrooms, olives, and chopped potatoes if you’ve decided to use them.
Pour enough milk (whole milk, of course) to almost cover the chicken. It’ll rise a bit during baking so if you add too much, it may spill over the sides of the container.
Add a generous amount of breadcrumbs or panko to the whole thing, covering it all. Lastly, add a small block of butter on top of each piece of chicken.
Put it in the oven and set the timer to 40 minutes to an hour.
The breadcrumbs over the chicken will be dark and crispy, while the part that was in the milk will have become creamy. The milk itself will have dried out. The mushrooms, being natural sponges, will have absorbed the juices and be like little flavor bombs with each bite. Scrumptuous!
Practical Application
I usually have Milk Baked Chicken with white rice, as the rich sauce blends perfectly.