Fowl most tender

Here’s a quick and tasty chicken dish that will fit right in with the rest of your holiday party spread. Conventional wisdom holds that you should never attempt a recipe for the first time to serve at a gathering, but this one is so simple, there really is no easy way to mess it up. If there is one thing that you must know, however, it’s that the other main ingredient is milk.

Chicken and milk. Did you just balk? Welcome to the club. Now you see why I had consigned said recipe to bookmark limbo for so long. Never mind that I cook with coconut cream all the time, or that I’m averse (though hardly allergic) to milk — does the combination even work? Long story short: it does. It’s not “the best chicken — ever!” (as some have enthused), but it sure is the tenderest I’ve had — courtesy of the milk, of course, although it leaves no aftertaste. You may have to conduct a pre-meal allergy poll, just in case. It’s one thing to be allergic to chicken, but the milk may come as a nasty surprise to some.

The dish is attributed to Jamie Oliver. Considering that the Italians have been cooking with milk for ages, it’s likely Chef Oliver just codified the recipe. Whatever. I futzed around with the ingredients and substituted kalamansi for lemon, and rosemary for sage (if you can’t get rosemary, try lemongrass). I left out the cinnamon (Pa hates it). And because I did not fancy the sight of curdled milk the first time around, I used chicken stock and cream in this version. It looks cleaner but tastes the same.

If you have seen any of Jamie Oliver’s shows, then you know he makes cooking look effortless, if just a little, um, unhygienic. His slaphappy demeanor does not sit well with my mother. “That man,” she observes, “he’s so messy!” My brows leave my face. “Compared to whom?” I say. “Pa?” Maybe it’s Chef Oliver's hair. Or his clothes, which look salvaged from an ukay-ukay heap. Or even his lisp — poor guy has a harder time with sibilants than Coco Martin. I find the overall effect cute. When my father cooks, I’m too busy cleaning up after him to appreciate anything else.

But I digress. If you’re looking to introduce something new to your usual noche buena fare, this dish should do it. It may not be as galante as a galantina, but it’s not as boring as roasted or fried chicken. What it has going for it is that it is really easy to make and quite delicious in its own right, and it reheats well (if there’s anything left to reheat). As the Chef likes to say, “Happy (holi)days!”

Chicken in Milk, Pinoy-Style

I have modified the original recipe to utilize ingredients that you can buy at any local wet market. Use lemongrass if you can’t find rosemary. The dish is usually made with whole chicken; in that case, adjust the cooking time accordingly. You can also go all-milk if you prefer.

• 1.5 kilo broiler chicken, halved
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• sprig of rosemary (or stalk of lemongrass, smashed)


• 10 cloves garlic, smashed (skin on)
• 2 dried bay leaves
• ½ cup chicken stock (or milk)
• ½ cup all-purpose cream (or milk)
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 3 kalamansi

1. Season chicken with salt and black pepper. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375°F.
3. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry chicken until a bit browned all over. Take a baking pan just wide enough to accommodate the chicken (or you can use the frying pan if it’s oven-safe, just remove the oil). If chicken is halved, place rosemary (or lemongrass) across center of the pan, then set chicken pieces on top, skin-side up. If using whole chicken, you can stuff the herb inside the fowl.
4. Put the rest of the ingredients, except kalamansi, in the pan. Using a zester, carefully scrape the rind off the kalamansi and garnish over the chicken, then slice the fruits and squeeze their juice (strained) into the liquid.
5. Cover pan with aluminum foil, creating a tent on top for chicken to steam. Bake for an hour, then remove the foil and continue baking for 15 to 30 minutes more or until sauce is reduced and chicken is cooked and golden all over. Baste chicken with sauce and serve.