Poulet Rôti – French Roast Chicken

This is one of my favourite ways to cook roast chicken (poulet rôti) – with Provençal herb and garlic flavours and butter, cooked in a pot rather than a tray. The chicken stays wonderfully juicy and the potatoes underneath soak up all the butter and juices. Très délicieux! Let’s go!

Nagi’s Notes

I love a good roast chicken. It’s just proper home cooking at its best, don’t you think? And this French flavoured one hits high on the roast chicken deliciousness scale!! The chicken is ridiculously juicy, but those potatoes soaking up all the garlicky, herby juices – outrageously good! I was very happy taking home leftovers almost every night this week. 🙂

Poulet Rôti – French Roast Chicken

All over France, roast chicken is a Sunday lunch staple. My mum made it regularly when I was growing up, keeping it simple just using only olive oil and salt. This Poulet Rôti (POO-lay roe-TEE) French Roast Chicken I’m sharing today is made with Provençal flavours that I love – garlic, herbes de Provence, butter and olive oil. It takes me straight to warm, sunlit days and that unmistakable smell of fresh herbs on the air – you know, ça sent bon les herbes, very Provence, like you are there already.

In today’s recipe, the chicken is roasted on top of potatoes in a cast-iron pot rather than using a tray. The pot provides excellent heat distribution and protects the chicken from drying out so it’s more forgiving than tray-roasting – you will be surprised how juicy the chicken is.

Ingredients

The key ingredient and flavour in this roast chicken is a simple mix of dried herbs known as Herbes de Provence. You can buy it in some speciality stores but it’s really easy to make – you only need thyme, rosemary, oregano and marjoram (or savory if you can find it)..

• Chicken – A free-range organic chicken is my preferred choice here. Better flavour and texture. In the recipe I use a 1.8 kg (4 lb) chicken, but if your chicken is a little bit smaller or larger, that’s fine. If it’s larger than 2 kg (4.4 lb), make sure your pot is big enough to welcome the big bird! 
• Butter – This is mixed with the Herbs de Provence and garlic then spread under the skin which flavours the flesh, keeps it juicy and melts down into a sauce that the potatoes cook. Who knew butter could multi-task so much?
• Herbes de Provence – This is the ingredient that makes this Provencal. As mentioned above, you can make it yourself (it’s just thyme, oregano, rosemary and marjoram or savory) though you can sometimes find it at specialty stores. Of course, if you’re lucky enough to be in France right now, you will find it anywhere!
• Garlic  – Another ingredient well used in Provencal cuisine. I mix some into the butter that is put under the chicken skin and we also use whole cloves which slowly confit in the butter with the potatoes. 
• Fresh thyme (optional) – A typical aromatic herb from the South of France. I stuff a few sprigs inside the chicken as a little extra Provencal flavour but it’s totally optional.
• Extra virgin olive oil – For rubbing the chicken which helps it brown and to season the potatoes.
• Potatoes – Although you can use any potato for a roast chicken, it’s best to use starchy potatoes like brushed Sebago (US: Russet/UK: Maris Piper). These soak up the butter and all the juices from the chicken better than waxy types of potato. But, as we’re cooking them for a good 70 minutes, you could use any potato and they will still be very good.

How to make Poulet Rôti – French Roast Chicken

This is an easy recipe that anyone can make. Make sure you don’t skip the resting part at the end – standing it upright so the juices settle in the breast makes such a difference. One small step for home cooks, one giant leap for roast chickens!

1. Preheat pot – Put the pot in the oven while it is heating up. Making the pot hot gives the potatoes and chicken a bit of head start with the cooking. But don’t worry if you forget to do this – Nagi forgot, and her chicken came out perfectly!
2. Make herb butter – In a small bowl, mix the herb butter ingredients together until combined. Set aside for later.

3. Pat dry the chicken completely using paper towels (skin and inside the cavity).
4. Loosen the skin – From the tail end, gently slide an upside down spoon (or your fingers) between the skin and the breast meat using slow sweeping motions to break the membrane connecting them (be careful not to tear the skin, take your time, I guarantee you this chicken is not going anywhere 😅). After the breasts, use the same technique for the thighs and drumsticks.

5. Butter under the skin – I find it easier to start with the breast, spoon 2/3 of the butter directly onto the meat under the skin and gently flatten with your hands to spread it all over evenly. Then divide the remaining butter between the two legs and spread it the same way.
6. Season and finish – Season inside the cavity with 1/4 tsp salt, Herbs de Provence and thyme sprigs. Tie the drumsticks tightly together. Rub the whole chicken with olive oil and season the outside evenly with the remaining salt. Tuck the wings under and set aside on the counter.

7. Prepare potatoes – Place potatoes, garlic cloves, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl and mix until the potatoes are well coated.
8. Roast covered – Put the potatoes into the hot cast-iron pot so they cover the bottom, place the chicken on top, cover loosely with a sheet of foil and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. We cover with foil to trap some moisture and stop the chicken colouring too quickly while still allowing heat to circulate, a lid would trap too much steam, restrain roasting, and often won’t fit over the chicken anyway.

9. Baste and continue roasting – Remove the foil and baste the chicken with the juices (I use a baster but a spoon works fine). return to the oven uncovered for 40 minutes basting twice more until the internal temperature at the thigh joint reaches 72°C / 162°F.
10. Rest upright – This is an important step, don’t skip it! Lift and rest the chicken on its side leaning against the pot, legs up, breast side down and rest for 15 minutes. This will allow the juices to settle in the breasts which makes it juicier. Baste once more because you can’t have enough basting!

Then it is ready to serve. Carve the chicken like in the video and don’t forget the oysters, the small, very tender pieces of meat on the back near the thigh. There are only two, and they are the best bites. Easy to miss, so don’t forget them! Serve with the potatoes, all the pan juices and a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves.

How to serve Poulet Rôti – French Roast Chicken

Plenty of starch here so serve this with fresh greeneries like a garden salad, a green beans salad or just a side of simple vegetables like steamed broccoli with a drizzle of olive oil. And don’t forget some crusty bread on the side for mopping up all that delicious sauce!

At the end of the day, this is really just a basic pot roasted chicken with a sprinkle of France. But actually, I cooked a version of this for diners when I was working in Manhattan at a French restaurant owned by a Michelin-starred chef. I think it’s a dish that proves just how special simple food can be. I hope you enjoy it too! Bon appétit! – JB