Poulet rôti—French for roast chicken—is a simple yet comforting affair of chicken, vegetables, and herbs. At Le Chêne in New York City, chef Alexia Duchêne puts her own spin on the dish, inspired by the many chickens she ate for Sunday suppers growing up. A whole chicken gets roasted atop carrots, potatoes, and onino, which become a side along with the built-in sauce from the pan drippings. Duchêne starts with a heritage bird, keeping the feet intact so they render into crisp nubs for diners to snack on.
This recipe follows a similar process but is adapted for home cooks. It starts by coating the chicken in a flavorful compound butter that includes lemon zest, parsley, and piment d’Espelette—a variety of dried pepper with a fruity, slightly smoky flavor and mild heat. In the restaurant, this butter mixture includes garlic cloves that have been confited in olive oil until tender and jammy, but finely chopped or grated raw cloves make for a good substitute at home. The bird gets stuffed with thyme, bay leaves, and parsley stems before getting set over vegetables. Halfway through cooking, the pan is deglazed with white wine and chicken broth, which mingle with the rendered chicken fat to create a savory pan sauce. Duchêne finishes her sauce with chicken demi-glace, but a few pats of chilled butter bring similar body.
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
1
3
½
1
1
1
2
1
2
1½
2
1½
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Remove tough stems from 1 medium bunch parsley; set aside. Finely chop parsley leaves with tender stems (you should have about ½ cup) and place in a medium bowl. Add 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated, zest of 1 lemon, ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, 1 tsp. piment d’Espelette, a pinch of kosher salt, and a pinch of freshly ground pepper and mix to combine.
Step 2
Pat one 3½–4-lb. whole chicken dry with paper towels. Season cavity with salt, then stuff with 1 bunch thyme, 2 dried bay leaves, and reserved parsley stems. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Rub butter mixture all over outside of chicken.
Step 3
Scatter 1 medium onion, cut into 2" pieces, 2 medium carrots (about 8 oz.), scrubbed, halved lengthwise if thick, cut crosswise on a diagonal into 2" pieces, and 1½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled, cut into 2" pieces, across a large roasting pan. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Place a V-shape roasting rack in pan over vegetables and place chicken on rack. Roast 30 minutes.
Step 4
Remove pan from oven and pour in 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth and 1½ cups dry white wine, scraping up any brown bits stuck to pan (carefully lift rack with chicken out if needed; return when done). Return to oven and continue to roast until vegetables are tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155°, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 20 minutes (temperature of chicken breast will climb to 160° as chicken rests).
Step 5
While the chicken is resting, transfer vegetables to a platter with a slotted spoon. Place roasting pan on stovetop over medium heat. Bring drippings to a low simmer and add remaining 4 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; cook, stirring, until melted and combined. Taste sauce and add more piment d’Espelette and salt if needed.
Step 6
Slice chicken and arrange over roasted vegetables; spoon some sauce over. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.