Italia a Tavola- Roasted Chicken packed in Salt

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Roasted Chicken packed in Salt

Ingredients for 4 servings

One chicken,

1 twig of rosemary,

2 cloves of garlic,

5 lb of rock salt (approx).

Line a deep pot with foil to preserve its integrity after cooking; or use an earth pot. Lay a layer of rock salt about 1 inch thick. Insert the rosemary and garlic in the chicken and place it on the inside the pot, on the salt. Cover the chicken with the rest of the salt making sure is well packed and no meat is exposed. Cook at about 450 degrees for 1.5 hour.

The salt will harden during cooking, so you will need to break it to extract the chicken which will be moist and savory.

This is an antique recipe; it actually originated in China but adopted in many countries. You can use this process also to cook roast beef.

Enjoy it!


Well, I have to say the look of this chicken, after it comes out of the salt, is not terribly attractive, but the flavor is memorable