French Roast Chicken

Just what is a French Roast Chicken? Maybe the best chicken you've ever tasted! Grandpa is not a trained chef. I am just a family cook. However, I own Escoffier's cookbook and I sometimes work from his recipes. George Escoffier was a great French chef, restaurateur, and the writer of a cookbook that many professionally trained chefs consider to be the ultimate source for cooking. This recipe is basically Mr. Escoffier's, but with some changes that Grandpa decided to make.

There was a funny episode the first time I made this recipe. Mr. Escoffier says that one should place a thin slice of salt pork on each of the chicken breasts before roasting it. When I asked a Whole Foods butcher for an organic chicken, I also asked him for two thin slices of salt pork. His smile froze, he pulled his upper and lower eyelids together and stared at me with a squint that suggested he wondered what I was up to. After a moment of confusion and study, his gaze thawed, eyes opened wide, and his smile broadened as he figured out why I wanted two thin slices of salt pork. He said, "Ah, you just need a couple of strips of bacon. You know, Applewood bacon would be very nice."  "Yes sir!  Now that's a plan!"

I then decided I wanted to make another change to the recipe. I just happened to have some nice duck fat in the fridge. Oh yes! I decided to rub the cavity of the chicken with duck fat. And so I did. Woo-eee! After I buttered the cavity good with duck fat, I rubbed the inside of the chick with coarse kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Outside of the bird and up top, I put a slice of applewood bacon on each breast. Then I put the chick on a metal roasting rack that I then set in my roasting pan. Then I poured about 1/2 inch of good white wine below the rack in the bottom of the pan. I always taste the wine first just to make sure it is good! Finally, I put an aluminum foil tent over the bird and popped that 5 pound chick in the oven. The instructions I've included below provide the rest of the details for making this delicious French roast chicken.  

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound whole chicken (don't worry about having leftovers)
• 2 slices of bacon (use apple smoked bacon if you can)
• 2-3 Tablespoons of duck fat (or butter)
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• White wine (or water)
• Aluminum foil
• Roasting pan or dish
• A metal roasting rack to elevate the chick (Bad:-), Bath, & Beyond have them) 

Note: Some gourmet stores sell duck fat in their dairy section near butter.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the liver and gizzards from the chicken. (I add them to separate bags in my freezer and will use them for something else one of these days).  Wash the chick inside and out with cold water. Dry the chick tenderly with a couple of paper towels.  Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken. Lay a slice of applewood bacon on each chicken breast. Sit the chicken on a metal roasting rack and set the rack in a roasting pan or dish. Pour 1/2 inch of wine in the bottom of the pan. Put the pan in the oven. Set an aluminum foil tent over the chick. Bake the chicken for 1 1/2 hours. When there are 40 minutes left in the roast, pull the aluminum foil tent off of the chick so it will brown in the remaining roasting time. Move the bacon slices to the bottom sides of the chicken. (They'll taste good too.) Continue the roasting the bird for the final minutes on the timer. Check the chick for doneness near the end of the cooking time. Use a meat thermometer, if you have one, to check for doneness. If not, use a sharp knife to make a cut between a chicken leg and the body. Juices will flow. The chicken will be done when the juice runs clear. If there is still red in the juice, roast the bird a little longer. 

A 4-5 pound chicken should be done in an hour and a half. If you use a chicken that is less than 4 pounds, you might find it to be done in an hour and 20 minutes. Bon Appetit!

Don't worry about having leftovers! If you have a lot of leftovers the meat can be reheated for another delicious meal. OR ... you can cut up the leftover meat and make a nice rice and some delicious green curry sauce for a fabulous new meal. Yes. I'll provide a recipe for this in the near future. I'll even include a picture of me eating green chicken in the jungle in French Guadeloupe in the West Indies.) That was a very nice treat! 

Comments

[Jude_chivers]

I love the white wine in the bottom of the roasting pan. Does the wine change or enhance the flavor of the chicken I wonder. Must try this and find out. Thanks

[Ross Pipes]

Yes, it does enhance the flavor. And the apple aroma of the wine fills the house. It smells so good!