Title: Braised Chicken with Bacon (Clay Pot)
 Categories: Chicken
      Yield: 4 servings
 
      5 lb Chicken
      4    Strips bacon
      1    Onion, finely chopped
      1    Clove garlic, finely chopped
      1 c  Chicken broth
    1/2 ts Salt
           Freshly ground black pepper
      1    Tb. cornstarch dissolved in
      2    Tb. cold water
      2    Tb. finely chopped parsley
           -or chives
 
  Last weekend I finally managed to find good romertopf.  A big one++
  big enough for a small turkey!  And am I glad.  This is a neat way to
  cook. I fixed the following recipe and it came out great.  I fudged
  it a bit++added a couple of quartered taters, three cut up carrots
  and a couple of cut up celery stalks.  Everything came out cooked to
  perfection.
  
  After getting it, I went to the bookshelf and rummaged around for
  possible recipes and came across a book I'd forgotten I even had.
  These recipes are from it.  This recipe is the only one I've actually
  fixed, but if the rest are as good, I'll be impressed.  I had
  expected the chicken to have a soft, steamed skin, but the parts that
  were above the liquid were nicely browned.
  
  Here are some chicken ones, one for osso bucco and one for a New
  England boiled dinner that looks outrageous.
  
  In the book, Chalmers says that nearly any recipe can be adapted to
  the clay pot cookers by adding a hundred degrees to the listed
  temperature and adding half an hour to the cooking time.
  
  Soak the clay pot in cold water for 10 minutes.  Truss the chicken
  securely and sit it in the pot, breast side up.  Cut the bacon into
  small pieces and fry until crisp.  Drain the bacon and scatter it
  over the chicken breast. Add the onion, garlic, chicken broth, salt
  and pepper.
  
  Cover the pot and place it in a cold oven.  Adjust the heat to 450F
  and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
  
  Drain the juices into a small saucepan.  Bring to boiling point and
  stir in the cornstarch dissolved in cold water.  Add the chives or
  parsley to the sauce and pour it over the chicken.  The chicken will
  be so utterly tender you will not have any difficulty carving it
  right out of the pot. Serve with rice or noodles and a tomato salad.
  
  Serves 4 and 2 children
  
  From "Cooking in Clay" by Irena Chalmers, Potpourri Press, Greensboro
  N.C., 1974.