Why You Should Be Using The Römertopf Method To Cook Chicken

Since humans first consumed chicken and decided that it was one of the tastiest birds around, it has been boiled, poached, fried, and roasted in hundreds of ways. Even though there are so many recipes to turn the clucker into dinner, deliciously juicy and well-cooked chicken can be pretty evasive sometimes. For visualization's sake, let's call it a bad chicken day, and on days like that, it seems like no amount of marinade, spices, or stuffing can rescue the bird.

Apparently, there's a way to put an end to bad chicken days. At least that's what the denizens of the internet say. The Römertopf clay pot could be the poultry gods' answer to your prayers of chicken woes. "The roast chicken in there is the best I've ever made," one Redditor attested. "This thing has been my favorite cooking thing since I started cooking using mum's when I was a kid. You can use it for stews, roasting meat/veggies, pasta bakes, anything you can think of that goes in the oven really," another netizen shared. Often passed down from one generation to another, clay pots are soaked in water for about 15-20 minutes before roasting chicken. When heated, all the water absorbed in the pot creates a steamy bath for the chicken to cook evenly, and the result is juicy, tender meat every single time. Its terra cotta walls are porous, so the water can easily evaporate.

Not only does chicken cooked in clay pots retain all the juices without basting, but it can also be healthier since this cooking method does not require oil at all. In fact, you can even cut off the fatty bits and not worry about the chicken turning out dry. Another perk of cooking in clay pots is that the chicken soaks up and retains all the flavor from the spices and herbs you add to it. "My family often does a '40-cloves-of-garlic chicken' in the Römertopf. The garlic loses its sharp taste and only the heavenly aroma and a creamy sweet taste remain," a Reddit user shared of their experience. Yet another benefit? Since terra cotta is environment-friendly, cooking in clay pots is one way to go green. 

Cooking in clay pots has many perks, but there are a few caveats to keep in mind. You shouldn't add cold water to a hot clay pot because it might crack. When you take a hot Römertopf pot out of the oven, make sure you rest it on a mat instead of a cold surface since it might break due to rapid cooling. As long as you handle them with care, your pots will be your kitchen ally for a long time.