Reader question: Are meat and poultry always supposed to be boneless, and poultry skinless? I tried poultry (large pieces)with bone and skin intact, and they took 60 minutes to cook. (I removed the vegetables @ 45 min.) ~ Elaine, Washington, D.C.
Hi Elaine- Thanks for asking as this is actually a question that comes up frequently in my live Glorious One-Pot Meals classes.
Yes, you can always choose to use skin-on, bone-in pieces of chicken in a Glorious One-Pot Meal, but yes, it might add cooking time to your meal. I’ve had the best results when cooking with bone-in, skin-on thighs and legs, but have also cooked breasts successfully and even a whole fryer using my infusion technique. The secret is to wait, without peeking into the closed pot, until the aroma of a fully-cooked meal escapes the oven and alerts you that the meal is ready.
With infusion cooking, the ingredients don’t cook until every item inside the pot has come up to cooking temperature, so you likely did not need to remove the vegetables early (I wouldn’t have).
If you’re not doing the whole bird, I would suggest separating the thigh from the leg, or the leg from the breast for best results.
I hope this is helpful. Happy cooking!
