I baked a chicken in a clay pot for the first time.

[LancetChick]

2. I Love Romertopf Chicken

It's one of my staples. I heat the oven to 475º, and have found that soaking the pot for 15 minutes leaves the chicken kind of dry, but soaking for half an hour makes it so moist, with juice appearing out of nowhere, it seems. I also cook for an hour and a half, but the skin on my chicken is always crispy (just the exposed part, though). I think you have to fiddle to get it just right for your oven.

I used to be content with just the vegetables and potatoes I put into the clay pot, but then I married an Iranian guy, and a Romertopf chicken dinner soon included basmati rice with crunchy brown "tag-dig" from the bottom of the rice pot, and a chopped salad/relish made of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, salt and plenty of chopped fresh dill and lime juice. If you can get a forkful of chicken, carrot or mushroom, rice, sauce and a little of the fresh relish, it's a bite of heaven!

You'd think this method of cooking would invite all sorts of experimentation, but alas, I'm embarrassed to admit, once I hit on the way I like it best I stopped being creative. I really should work on that. But the fact that you brought clay pot chicken up in the first place may just inspire me to do that, so thanks!