Name: Chicken cooked in milk with buttered spinach
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 butterflied chicken (about 1.6 kg); 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 5 peeled garlic cloves; 10 sage leaves; Thinly peeled rind of 1 lemon; 80 ml (1/3 cup) white wine; 650 ml milk; Finely grated parmesan and fried sage, to serve; Buttered spinach; 20 gm unsalted butter, chopped; 1 bunch of English spinach, trimmed; Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Chicken cooked in milk with buttered spinach

A Nonna classic in the rural regions of Italy.

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Serves 4

Prep

10M

Cook

55M

Total

1H 5M

Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s chicken cooked in milk is impressive midweek fare that’s dead-easy to make. The milk curd sets as the chicken roasts forming a rich, creamy sauce similar to bread sauce — with less hassle.

Ingredients

1 butterflied chicken (about 1.6 kg)

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

5 peeled garlic cloves

10 sage leaves

Thinly peeled rind of 1 lemon

80 ml (1/3 cup) white wine

650 ml milk

Finely grated parmesan and fried sage, to serve

Buttered spinach

20 gm unsalted butter, chopped

1 bunch of English spinach, trimmed

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Method

Remove chicken from refrigerator (30 minutes) and season generously.

Preheat oven to 200°C fan-forced. Heat olive oil in a large casserole over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin-side down, until golden (3-4 minutes). Turn, and cook until light golden (2-3 minutes). Transfer chicken to a plate. Add garlic, sage, lemon and wine to casserole and bring to a simmer. Add milk, whisk to combine and season to taste. Return chicken, skin-side up, to casserole and roast in oven until golden and milk has formed curds (40-45 minutes). Remove chicken from casserole and set aside to rest (15 minutes).

Meanwhile, for buttered spinach, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Add spinach and sauté until tender (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat; stir through nutmeg and season to taste.

Cut chicken into 8 pieces and arrange on a serving platter; top with milk curds, garlic, lemon peel, grated parmesan and fried sage. Serve with buttered spinach on the side.

Recipe by Julia Busuttil Nishimura Cook and author

With multiple best-selling cookbooks to her name, Melbourne-based cook Julia has built a loyal following with her elegant approach to seasonal cooking. Described by Gourmet Traveller editor Joanna Hunkin as Australia's answer to Nigella Lawson, Julia joins GT as a new regular contributor, sharing her favourite recipes.

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Ingredients

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