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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.

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Last modified on: October 13^th 2021

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For 4 people, you will need:

1 100 ml hay
2 1 whole bird (chicken, duck etc.)
3 salt
4 pepper

Change to the quantities for: 2 people 4 people 8 people 12 people

Change measures: Metric

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How long will it take?

Time required for this recipe:

Preparation	Cooking	Start to finish
21 min.	4 hours	4 hours 21 min.

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Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 1 min.

Flatten 100 ml hay slightly into a mat.

Stage 2 - 4 min.

Salt and pepper your choice of bird (a guinea fowl here) both inside and out.

Put into a roasting bag.

Stage 3 - 2 min.

Slip the hay underneath the bird.

Seal the bag.

Stage 4 - 1 min.

Put the wrapped bird in an oven-proof dish or on a baking sheet.

Stage 5 - 4 hours

Cook in the oven at 280°F (140°C) for 4 hours.

Turn the bag upside down halfway through.

Stage 6 - 1 min.

After this time, take the dish out, but leave the oven on.

Stage 7 - 3 min.

Pour all the cooking juices from the bag into a bowl.

Stage 8 - 1 min.

Tip out the contents of the bag onto a baking sheet.

Stage 9 - 2 min.

Remove and discard the hay.

Stage 10 - 5 min.

Pull the meat off the bones. This should be very easy after such long cooking.

Stage 11

Discard the bones and skin and transfer the meat to an oven-proof dish as you go.

Stage 12 - 1 min.

Pour the cooking juices over and put back in the oven to keep hot until serving.

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

Whole recipe
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
2,646 Kcal or 11,078 Kj	378 gr	0 gr	126 gr
98 %	108 %	0 %	14 %

Per 100 g
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
139 Kcal or 582 Kj	20 gr	0 gr	7 gr
5 %	6 %	0 %	1 %

Per person
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
662 Kcal or 2,772 Kj	95 gr	0 gr	32 gr
25 %	27 %	0 %	4 %

% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2700 k-calories or 11300 k-joules by day for a man (change to a woman).

How much will it cost?

For 4 people : 7.21 €
Per person : 1.80 €

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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)

	Whole bird (chicken, duck etc.) : You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Five hours poultry, ... All
	Salt: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Potimarron (Japanese chestnut pumpkin) purée, Potatoes with prawns, Potimarron and celeriac autumn soup, Rosemary steamed fish, Turnip and Jerusalem artichoke soup, ... All
	Pepper: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Mexican-style pork medallions , Chard and potato gratin, Pan-fried salmon with white cabbage, Mini cheese and mustard toasts, Pork Chops with Rosemary, ... All