Hay-baked poultry


Hay-baked poultry
Cooking poultry in hay may seem strange, but it is a very simple method. The bird is just seasoned and cooked slowly for a long time with a large bunch of hay.

During the slow cooking the poultry takes on the flavour of the hay, with its mix of grassy herbal and floral notes.

This recipe is inspired by old rural ways of cooking, where meat was cooked for a long time wrapped in hay that had been freshly gathered in.
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Last modified on: October 13th 2021
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For 4 people, you will need:
  • 1 hay 100 g hay
  • 2 whole bird (chicken, duck etc.) 1 whole bird (chicken, duck etc.)
  • 3 salt Salt
  • 4 pepper Pepper
  • Total weight: 1,900 grams

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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 25 min.
Cooking: 4 hours
All in all: 4 hours 25 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - ⌛ 1 min.
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 1
Flatten 100 g hay slightly into a mat.

Stage 2 - ⌛ 4 min.
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 2
Salt and pepper your choice of bird (a guinea fowl here) both inside and out.

Put into a roasting bag.

Stage 3 - ⌛ 2 min.
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 3
Slip the hay underneath the bird.

Seal the bag.

Stage 4 - ⌛ 1 min.
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 4
Put the wrapped bird in an oven-proof dish or on a baking sheet.

Stage 5 - ⌛ 4 hours
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 5
Cook in the oven at 280°F (140°C) for 4 hours.

Turn the bag upside down halfway through.

Stage 6 - ⌛ 1 min.
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 6
After this time, take the dish out, but leave the oven on.

Stage 7 - ⌛ 3 min.
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 7
Pour all the cooking juices from the bag into a bowl.

Stage 8 - ⌛ 1 min.
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 8
Tip out the contents of the bag onto a baking sheet.

Stage 9 - ⌛ 2 min.
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 9
Remove and discard the hay.

Stage 10 - ⌛ 5 min.
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 10
Pull the meat off the bones. This should be very easy after such long cooking.

Stage 11
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 11
Discard the bones and skin and transfer the meat to an oven-proof dish as you go.

Stage 12 - ⌛ 1 min.
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 12
Pour the cooking juices over and put back in the oven to keep hot until serving.

Stage 13
Hay-baked poultry : Stage 13
Serve with your choice of vegetables, rice or pasta, as you prefer.
Remarks
If you don't have a roasting bag, use something like a cast-iron casserole with a lid which can go in the oven.

You might find hay in an organic shop these days, but the best way to get it is to ask a local farmer for a little.

The quantity of hay is just for guidance, you just need enough to form a bed under the bird.
Keeping: 1 or 2 days in the fridge, covered with plastic film.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe378 RDI=582 %0126 RDI=173 %2,646 RDI=132 %11,078 RDI: 132 %
Per 100 g19 RDI=31 %06 RDI=9 %139 RDI=7 %583 RDI: 7 %
Per person94 RDI=145 %031 RDI=43 %661 RDI=33 %2,770 RDI: 33 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
How much will it cost?
  • For 4 people : 7.25 €
  • Per person : 1.85 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
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