Cajun pot roast chicken with lentils

Hobbychef
12 minutes ago
10 min read

This Cajun pot roast chicken with lentils is an easy way to roast a chicken and cook your vegetables at the same time—well most of them anyway. It's a great way to cook a meal for a group without slaving over a hot stove for hours. Though slow-cooked, you'll have time to kick back before impressing everyone with a Louisiana-style dinner.

Poulet vouz, avec moi?

I was reminded of this Cajun pot roast chicken with lentils recently during a conversation with friends about the nature of the "gravy" in "gravy and biscuits". One of my friends was telling us how she finally perfected Southern-style biscuits, all down to buying the correct kitchen utensil. She and I were explaining to our other friend around the table, without our direct experience of American regional cooking, that the gravy in "gravy and biscuits" was a "white gravy", a creamy sauce more akin to French cooking than British-style gravy.

Our enthusiastic chatter of shared experiences of American cooking from the South immediately brought to mind this dish that I have loved most of my life. Another dish from Baton Rogue, although it's known as Cajun pot roast, and certainly includes Cajun elements, it's actually more of a general Louisiana dish.

It's a kind of "wet" pot roast, most usually of chicken or duck, and occasionally pork, that starts out with the famed 'Holy Trinity', a kind of mirepoix of onions, celery and green bell peppers, the backbone of many Cajun, Creole and other dishes from the South. You cook your chicken and almost all of your vegetables in the same Dutch oven, finally turning the rich juices into to the creamy white gravy.

Sausage quandaries

The original version uses Andouille sausage that's not that easy to find in many parts of the world—in fact, real Louisiana Andouille sausage doesn't comply with EU food regulations (that the UK still uses, despite Brexit). So, I don't really see the point of paying exorbitant prices for "Andouille-style" sausages from UK-based artisan butchers having tried the wares of a number of purveyors and always been sorely disappointed. My advice: if you're in the US and can get good Andouille sausages, use them, if elsewhere use a viable alternative.

For example, I'm using a spicy chorizo and, in the way that the spices cook down in this dish, you don't need to scale down any of the other spices. At the quantities in this recipe, the Cajun spices cook down to very mild. If you prefer more of a kick, I suggest adding more smoked paprika and cayenne pepper in the later stages of the cooking, either into the Dutch oven in about the last 10mins of pot roasting or directly into the saucepan when making the gravy.

Similarly, with the Cajun spice mix, you can make your own (I've included the recipe below for the one I make myself in a spice grinder) or go for a store-bought option. One word of caution is that readymade Cajun spice mixes vary a lot, not so much in terms of the ingredients so much as proportional quantities thereof. In the UK, for example, I have noticed that quite a few producers crank up the cayenne, passing off heat for flavour. So, if you're using a readymade mix, check it out for spiciness before using it, not least of all if you don't like overly spicy dishes.

A flexible cornu copia

This dish is sometimes referred to as "pot luck pot roast" because there are few fixed rules about the veggies that go into the pot. I'm doing it with the ones that have the strongest memory-to-taste resonance for me: corn on the cob and carrots for that downhome vibe, mushrooms for the old Louisiana French traditions, etc.

But, it is very much about what's in season and what you do not want to waste, hence, everything from potatoes to green beans, pumpkin to sweet potatoes can go into your Dutch oven.

Green lentils are often a default side for this dish in the Louisianan tradition, drawing on French roots. It's a bit of a misnomer. Green lentils are actually a form of "brown lentils", related to Puy lentils. The main difference is that these lentils grown in North America do not need to be soaked for a long period before cooking, merely thoroughly rinsed before cooking for about 40mins. Sure, the corn-fed of the South, often prefer mashed potatoes with this dish. I, however, have always preferred the lower-carb traditional lentils, on flavour grounds above all else.

I have always loved how corn on the cob cooks down in this dish; soft and succulent in a way that's different to how it is on a BBQ, for example. And, incidentally, redneck or not, the way to eat corn on the cob in the South is with one's fingers, just as the British elite know that to eat asparagus any other way is horribly nouveau riche. Forgive me if I forgot to include the finger bowls...

If you do opt to cook this dish with a duck or a pork roasting joint, it will produce notably more fat in the roasting juices. Thus, I advise increasing the quantities for the roux by about a third when it comes to making the white gravy.

This version serves 4 to 5 people, depending on your side dishes. Please note that I'm cooking it in slightly different portions compared with the recipe. I'm cooking it for a small household with a smaller chicken and an appropriately sized Dutch oven for the task. To cook it for a larger group, both your Dutch oven and chicken should be larger.

Wavy gravy

The white gravy in this dish is the gift that keeps on giving. Even at these quantities, it will produce far more gravy than you will need at table. An old Southern trick is to store the excess in the fridge (it will become quite gelatinous, but don't worry). Then, up to three days later, work with the stored leftovers from the meal. Strip any excess meat off the bird, chop up the carrots and add the leftover mushrooms to the sauce and reheat, either on the stove or in the microwave. When piping hot, serve with rice. It's a delicious gumbo-like easy meal that puts the "luck" in "pot luck".

3 top tips to get this recipe right:

Cooking with a Southern-style roux can seem alarming for those schooled in the French tradition. It's an adaptation made by French settlers in Louisiana when butter was rare and vegetable oils not. They certainly embraced cream in "white gravy", though it's worth remembering that this was often "canned cream" up until the 20th-century. The roux will look thick and an odd colour (unless you're from Louisiana) compared with butter-based roux. Bear with it. Unless there's a reason (e.g. allergies) use peanut oil for the roux, even if using another oil for the rest of the dish

If you're looking for a lovely crisp chicken skin with piquant Cajun spices, this isn't your dish. Most of the skin will flake into the juices and become part of the white gravy. But, it's relative: this recipe produces the most succulent, moist roast chicken. So, don't dry it out by cranking up the oven in the final stages

This is most definitely a dish where "less is more" when it comes to interference. I have seen people mess it up by taking the chicken in an out of the oven too many times and, worse still, stirring up the 'Holy Trinity' at the base of the pan, muddying the flavours. This is one where you need to leave it to get on with it most of the time

Shopping list

for Cajun pot roast chicken with lentils

A whole chicken (or duck or pork roasting joint)
2 medium onions, (red or brown); roughly chopped
Approx. 6tbspns peanut oil (or canola or sunflower oil)
4 cloves of garlic; 2 whole and peeled, 2 peeled and bruised
3 or 4 stems of celery; washed and finely sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 to 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 fresh corn on the cob per diner, cut in half
Approx. 120g whole chestnut mushrooms
1 fresh lemon, cut in half
300ml dry white wine
A very generous clutch of curly leaf parsley; chopped
Approx. 2 thumb's lengths small spicy chorizo; sliced
A little chicken stock (or vegetable stock); about 1 cup
1 cup green lentils; thoroughly rinsed
A generous clutch of fresh thyme; bound with string
2tbspns peanut oil (for the roux)
2tbspns plain flour (for the roux)
Approx. 100ml single cream
Salt and black pepper, to taste

for the Cajun spice mix

½ tspn smoked paprika (pimentón picante)
1 tspn ground cumin
1 tspn mild chilli powder and
1 tspn dried basil
1 tspn dried parsley
and a 2 pinches of cayenne pepper
(And 2tbspns toasted breadcrumbs; for the "rub"; added later)

Mix all of the ingredients (except the breadcrumbs) in a spice grinder or by hand using pestle and mortar. Fold the breadcrumbs into the spice mix when preparing the seasoning rub.

for the sides and condiments

Green lentils; the default (see above)
Mashed potatoes (if not putting potatoes into the pot)
A green salad

Cooking Method

the Cajun pot roast chicken with lentils

Cook your 'Holy Trinity' first. This can be done days in advance and stored in the fridge until you cook the dish. But, if doing it immediately prior to roasting the chicken, add half of the oil to the Dutch oven in which you will pot roast. On the stove, heat it on a low/medium heat and add the chopped onions, green bell pepper, and stir in. Once covered in the oil, add the bruised garlic cloves. Cover and sweat for about 20mins. Stir occasionally, re-covering and sweating on a low/medium heat until fully softened, which might take another 20mins. When notably softened, add the mushrooms, stir in and re-cover until they too soften and brown. Remove from the heat
While cooking your 'Holy Trinity', prepare the chicken. Mix half of the Cajun spice mix with the toasted breadcrumbs and crush together using a pestle and mortar. With clean fingers, use this rub to season the entire outer surface of the chicken
Push half of the lemon into the chicken's cavity. Fill most of the cavity with the sliced chorizo, interspersed with little pinches of the chopped fresh parsley. Use the other half of the lemon (sliced side inwards) as a 'plug' at the opening. Tie up the legs with cook's string to ensure the filling remains in place
Heat the remainder of the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Once hot, add the peeled cloves of garlic and sear the chicken in the pan. Use tongs and a large spoon to manoeuvre the chicken so that it is gently browned on all outer surfaces. Discard the garlic once the chicken is seared
Push the mushrooms to the edge of the Dutch oven. Carefully lift the chicken and place it, legs upwards, on top of the 'Holy Trinity' in the Dutch oven. Arrange the cut carrots and corn around the edges. Pour in about 100ml of chicken stock, and 200ml of the wine. Season with a little salt and pepper
Cover and place in the centre of an oven preheated to 180°C and cook, undisturbed for about 30mins
Remove from the oven. Carefully, turn the chicken over. Turn the corn and carrots so the surfaces previously facing down now face up. Add a few pinches of the chopped parsley into the "gap" at the edges of the pot. Gently pour in the remainder of the stock and wine. Sprinkle the chicken with a little extra Cajun spice mix (from the mix without the breadcrumbs). Re-cover and return to the oven, reducing to 150°C
After 30mins, remove from the oven and return the chicken to the legs-up position. Re-cover and return to the oven. Cook for about another 30 to 40mins, checking occasionally. Once the chicken is optimally cooked (check using a meat thermometer or when the juices run clear) remove from the oven
During this time, cook your lentils. They will take about 40mins to cook in salted boiling water with a little bouquet of thyme; until al dente but fully cooked. Bring to the boil, then simmer for approx. 40mins until optimal. Drain and keep warm until serving
Transfer the chicken briefly to a plate or dish. Pour all of the juices through a sieve into a bowl or jug. Remove all of the whole vegetables using a sieve spoon, including "bits" of the 'Holy Trinity" that remain intact, and place in an ovenproof dish with a lid. Spoon over 2tbspns of the juices to keep moist. Cover and return to the oven. Return the chicken, breast side up, to the Dutch oven. Return to the oven, uncovered, sprinkling over a little of the Cajun spice mix. NB: as soon as you begin to make the sauce, turn off the oven, You want the chicken to rest, but the gravy needs to be served promptly
To create the sauce (aka "white gravy") first make the roux, heating the oil on a medium heat. Once hot, sift the flour in and stir to make a thick, rather unattractive paste. Almost immediately, pour in all the roasting juices. Stir vigorously and continuously. NB: if you want it to be a bit more "fruity", add a dash of wine
When it thickens, reduce to a low heat. Pour in the cream; add the remaining chopped parsley, stirring continuously, avoiding allowing the mixture to boil once the cream has been added. Season with salt and pepper. This kind of "white gravy" needs to be served promptly. So, even when at optimal consistency, keep it on the bare minimum heat while you carve the chicken and plate your vegetables or transfer them to serving dishes. If this means the gravy becomes a little gloopy, simply stir in white wine (or cream) and stir down to the desired consistency. It needs to go to table piping hot
Take all of your elements to table, serving the creamy hot 'white gravy' last of all

Alternatives

This is one of those dishes for which there is no easy pescatarian or vegan options. Bluntly, I would cook something entirely different if that's what's needed. Sure, there are dishes that are similar, such as a pescatarian dish where you chuck a whole lobster in the Dutch oven with similar spices and veggies, or a vegan dish that uses large pieces of pumpkin in the Dutch oven. But, both are different enough for me to not view them as variations. Sometimes it just plays out that way.

Pairings

This dish works well with either beer or wine. In Louisiana, despite the French heritage, the default is to pair it with a cold beer. And, in America, that generally means one of those anaemic pale beers of the pilsner ilk. Don't knock it: it works really well.

On the wine front, it works brilliantly with a range of Albariños, chilled in the way they favour in Northern Spain. One with which it works marvelously is Zárate Albariño Rías Baixas ( I think it was a 2022 number, but don't hold me to that). Another wine I remember it working very well with it was a Californian Chardonnay from Grgich Hills, but again, it was a while ago and I don't remember specifics. Basically, you're looking for a white that can deal with the mildly spicy nature of the chicken and the gravy without wiping out those slow-cooked juicy carrots and corn where the spices do not mess with their essentially juicy, fresh natures.