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.
40 K 5/5 (2 reviews)
Grade this recipe:
Keywords:
Last modified on: October 13th 2021
For this recipe: Comment Send to a friend Ask me a question Follow Printable Diaporama Video
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

Change to the quantities for:
Change measures:
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 recipe380 RDI=150 %0130 RDI=20 %2,650 RDI=130 %11,080 RDI: 130 %
Per 100 g20 RDI=8 %06 RDI=1 %140 RDI=7 %580 RDI: 7 %
Per person90 RDI=40 %030 RDI=5 %660 RDI=30 %2,770 RDI: 30 %
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 €

Change currency:

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)
Other recipes you may also like
Chocolate mug cake
Chocolate mug cake
A mug cake is fun to make and only takes a few minutes. It cooks in just one and a half minutes in the microwave.
June 4th 2014134 K5 15 min.
Pilau rice
Pilau rice
Pilau rice (also called "restaurant rice" in France) is a way of cooking rice that's very different from using a rice-cooker. In this recipe, the rice is first "pearled" with onion in olive oil, then chicken stock is added, and the whole lot is put in the oven. This produces a very tasty moist rice, which can easily be kept waiting without drying out.
February 21th 2011408 K 14.4 35 min.
Morteau sausage "crisps"
Morteau sausage "crisps"
To make these "crisps", the Morteau sausage is first boiled before being sliced thinly. The slices are then baked in the oven until they start to crisp. These make a very tasty aperitif snack or can be served to accompany any dish you choose.
March 15th 201777 K4.3 1 hour 9 min.
Genoese croque-monsieur
Genoese croque-monsieur
Here is an Italian version of the famous French toasted sandwich: a croque-monsieur from Genoa. The two slices of fried bread hold together scrambled egg, pesto and grated Parmesan.
July 22th 201877 K 25 min.
Moist chocolate cake
Moist chocolate cake
A moist, loaf-shaped cake with all the chocolate flavour that comes from a double dose: melted chocolate and cocoa powder.
August 28th 2025125 K5 1 hour 10 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-02-22)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing

Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page