Le Poulet Rôti du Dimanche en Crapaudine
Le Poulet Rôti du Dimanche en Crapaudine·(luh poo-lay roh-tee doo dee-mahnsh ahn krah-poh-deen)
La Cuisine de Grand-Mère: The Sunday Pots
There is nothing more sacred in the French domestic repertoire than the Sunday roast chicken, a comforting ritual usually reserved for a long, lazy afternoon. But this is the genius of the working grandmothers: by removing the backbone and flattening the bird to the pan, the sacred becomes entirely accessible on a frantic Tuesday night. The magic here is not found in some fussy, Michelin-starred technique; it relies on the raw utility of shoving garlic and herb butter directly under the skin and letting the bird roast fast and hot over a bed of potatoes. Those potatoes do not just cook; they confit in the glorious, rendering chicken fat, soaking up the thyme and garlic until they rival the meat itself for your attention. It is an unpretentious, deeply visceral plate of food that tastes exactly like a real French home.
Before you start
Temper the chicken.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 45 minutes before cooking, as roasting a cold bird will cause the muscle fibers to seize violently and dry out the meat.
Ingredients
- organic free-range whole chicken4 lb
- salted butter4 tbsp
- olive oil2 tbsp
- dried Herbes de Provence1 tbsp
- lemon1 med
- garlic4 clove
- garlic1 med head
- Yukon Gold potato1 1/2 lb
- yellow onion2 med
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- black pepper1 tsp
Method
- 01
Prepare the compound butter.
In a small bowl, mash the softened butter together with the minced garlic, lemon zest, Herbes de Provence, and a generous pinch of kosher salt and black pepper.
- 02
Remove the backbone to flatten the bird.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the chicken breast-side down on a cutting board and use heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the spine from tail to neck. Turn the bird over, open it like a book, and press down firmly on the center of the breastbone with the heel of your hand until you hear a crack and it lays entirely flat.
- 03
Massage the herb butter under the skin.
Gently slide your fingers under the skin at the base of the chicken breasts, separating it from the meat without tearing. Push the butter mixture directly into this pocket, spreading it evenly over the breast meat and down toward the thighs to baste the bird from the inside out.
- 04
Assemble the vegetable roasting bed.
In a heavy-bottomed roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet, toss the halved potatoes, onion wedges, and unpeeled garlic cloves with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lay the spatchcocked chicken directly on top of the vegetables, breast-side up.
- 05
Roast fast and hot until deeply golden.
Rub the exterior of the chicken skin with a few drops of olive oil, season generously with salt, and tuck the lemon wedges around the edges. Roast in the center of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, allowing the rendered fat to confit the potatoes beneath, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F.
- 06
Rest the meat to redistribute the juices.
Transfer the chicken to a carving board and let it rest uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes before carving and serving alongside the fat-soaked vegetables.
Notes
Seek out air-chilled chicken.
American supermarket organic, air-chilled chickens most closely replicate the firm texture and lower water content of standard French poultry, ensuring optimally crispy skin without excess steam.
Keep the garlic cloves in their skins.
Leaving the papery skins on the whole garlic cloves (en chemise) protects the sweet flesh from burning and turning bitter under the high heat of the oven.
From Cook French in America.