There is also a wonderful recipe, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse, for Clay Pot Honey Lemon Chicken, that my wife and I have made several times now. It’s a nice variation on the basic roast chicken with a thicker sauce (thanks to the addition of a roux):

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/clay-pot-honey-lemon-chicken-recipe/index.html

Once you try a clay pot, you’ll be tempted never to go back. A couple of comments that might be helpful:

The reason the pot has to be soaked in water for 15 minutes prior to use is two-fold: 1) yes, it releases steam, but also 2) so that it doesn’t crack when it’s subjected to heat.

#2 is also why you need to put the pot into a COLD (not preheated) oven. Put a cold clay pot into a hot oven and the pot will crack.

Lastly, I’ve never had to sear anything before cooking it in a clay pot. It seems to brown nicely on its own. That definitely helps save you from dirtying additional pots and pans. As for cleanup, you sometimes do have to give the pot a good scrubbing, as it’s not non-stick. But I have found that the bottom half does well in the dishwasher. The top half (i.e. the “lid”) is a bit more delicate; I put that on the dishwasher’s upper rack.

I was a little bummed that it used so many pots prior to adding everything to the clay pot. The actual clay pot wasn’t awful to clean. I soaked it for a little while with soapy water and then just scrubbed.