Chicken in Milk

5 from 2 votes

Each time I prepare this recipe, I increase the amount of garlic over the original amount, listed below. The whole cloves soften and mellow as they cook, and everyone requests more of these creamy nuggets.

Servings: 4-5 servings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe

Ingredients

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or legs (I use 1½ pounds of each)
½ teaspoon each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cinnamon stick or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
A few fresh thyme sprigs (may substitute sage)
¼ cup lemon juice and the zest of one lemon
10 garlic cloves, skin removed but left whole (may use more if you are a garlic fan)
2 cups 2% or whole milk (could use canned coconut milk for a non-dairy option)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375℉. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or another heavy pot or casserole with a tight-fitting lid. Place the chicken, skin-side down, in the pot and allow it to cook without moving until the skin is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. (A splatter guard is helpful. This step will render much of the fat, brown the skin, and is best done in two batches so as not to crowd the pan. I don’t bother to brown the side with little to no skin.) Remove the browned chicken to a plate. Discard the excess oil, leaving the crusty bits on the bottom. This will add good flavor later.
Put the chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook, covered, in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. (I don’t baste or even peek, although I have taken the chicken out after 1 hour and 20 minutes and it was fine. I have also cooked early and reheated.) The lemon juice will sort of curdle the milk, making a thick sauce, which is creamy and delicious.
Serve with crusty bread or over rice, noodles, or potatoes, as desired, to soak up the delicious sauce. A side of peas or green vegetable of choice completes the meal.

Notes

To see what would happen if I omitted the browning step, I skipped it recently and was pleasantly surprised. While the color of the skin is not golden brown and beautiful, the resulting chicken is every bit as delicious as it is when browned first. Do note that the sauce will be greasier because the rendered fat is discarded in the browning step.
If you don't typically use 2% or whole milk, look for the 16-ounce bottles to eliminate waste. If your grocery store doesn’t carry this size, many convenience stores do. Non-fat milk is too thin for this recipe, and the lack of fat will fail to balance the tang of the lemon juice.

Tried this recipe?Click here to rate and comment.