Poulet de Grains en Casserole

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart (3.8-liter) heavy lidded casserole or enameled cast-iron cocotte, just large enough for the chicken
• •Large basting spoon or bulb baster
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small ladle or fat separator
• •Kitchen twine
• •Broiler-safe rimmed pan, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare bird and pot

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) with a rack in the lower middle. Dry the chicken thoroughly inside and out, then season the cavity and skin with the salt and pepper. Tuck the wing tips underneath and tie the legs loosely so the bird cooks compactly without sealing the cavity shut. Melt 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g) of the butter over gentle heat in a heavy lidded casserole just large enough to hold the chicken; keep the remaining butter ready beside the stove.

   A snug casserole matters. In a broad pot the butter spreads into a thin film and burns before it can baste the bird; in a cramped one the skin sticks to the sides.
2. 2

   Begin the poêlage

   Set the chicken breast-side up in the melted butter and spoon the butter generously over every exposed surface. Cover the casserole and place it in the oven. This is the application of Poëlings (No. 250): cook the bird without wine, water, stock, vegetables, or herbs, opening the pot every 12 minutes to baste it with the butter and juices gathered below. Add the reserved butter a little at a time if the pot looks dry. If the butter becomes hazelnut brown, carry on; if its milk solids turn black or smell bitter, lower the oven by 25°F (15°C), lift out the bird briefly, wipe away only the burned solids, and continue with fresh butter. Ça se rattrape. Never add water, because that would turn the poêlage into a braise.

3. 3

   Uncover and bronze

   After 45 minutes, uncover the casserole, baste again, and rotate the pot. Continue cooking uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, basting every 8 to 10 minutes, until the skin is evenly butter-gold and the thickest part of the breast registers 160 to 162°F (71 to 72°C), while the inner thigh reaches at least 170°F (77°C). The breast must rise to 165°F (74°C) during its rest. If the meat is ready but the skin remains pale, give the bird 45 to 90 seconds under a closely watched household broiler; that is the honest home equivalent of a salamander, used only for colour and never as extra cooking.

4. 4

   Rest and degrease

   Lift the chicken onto a warm platter and cover it loosely for 15 minutes. Carefully pour or spoon every layer of free butter and poultry fat from the casserole, leaving the sticky amber fond and dark meat juices behind. This is degreasing, not wiping the pot clean. If some juices leave with the fat, let the mixture stand in a cup until it separates, then return the darker juices from beneath. The butter has completed its work, and now it goes. We don't apologize for butter, but neither do we serve a greasy jus.

5. 5

   Finish the jus

   Set the casserole over medium-low heat and add the veal gravy. Scrape the fond gently with a wooden spoon and let the gravy simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, just until it gathers the roasting deposits into a scant, glossy jus. Add any juices collected beneath the resting chicken. If the jus tightens into a sticky glaze, pull it from the heat and loosen it with another spoonful of resting juices; if fat beads reappear, skim them away. This is meant to be a concentrated spoonful, not a moat of sauce.

6. 6

   Return and serve

   Return the chicken to the casserole and spoon the finished jus over its breast and legs. Hold it over the lowest heat for no more than a minute, without allowing the jus to boil, then carry the casserole directly to the table. Serve the bird bare, with no vegetable garnish, herb shower, or decorative fuss. Carve it at the table and give each portion a little of the concentrated jus. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a chicken between 3½ and 4 pounds (1.6 to 1.8 kg). A larger bird keeps the breast in the oven too long while the legs catch up; this compact size gives the poêlage its best chance of cooking evenly.
• •Grain-fed describes how the bird was raised, not a demand for a costly label. Buy the best chicken you comfortably can, but choose freshness and the right size first. Technique carries this dish.
• •The veal gravy must be concentrated enough to carry the fond in a single tablespoon. Homemade reduced veal jus is ideal; a good unsalted veal demi-glace may be diluted only until it reaches a pourable gravy consistency. Salty bouillon paste will overwhelm the bare chicken.
• •Butter, not oil. Its flavour and its ability to carry the chicken's juices are part of the poêlage, while the final degreasing keeps the result clean rather than heavy.
• •Serve pommes purée or buttered green beans separately if supper needs them, but don't build a garnish into the casserole. A white Burgundy or supple young Beaujolais suits the butter, veal jus, and delicate meat without bullying them.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for up to 3 days. Reheat carved portions gently with a spoonful of the reserved jus; hard heat will finish drying what the first cooking protected.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken may be salted and refrigerated uncovered for up to 8 hours. This dries the skin and seasons the meat more evenly; let it stand out only while the oven heats before cooking.
• •Prepare or portion the veal gravy ahead. It freezes neatly in 1-tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) portions, which is precisely what this small finish requires.
• •Cook the chicken close to serving. It may rest loosely covered for 15 to 20 minutes while the casserole is degreased and the jus finished, but the crisp skin and juicy breast gain nothing from reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 230g)