Poulet rôti aux herbes – French-style roast chicken with herbs Recipe
Poulet rôti aux herbes is a classic Sunday lunch in French homes – a whole chicken roasted with butter and herbs, served with simple sides. The meat is juicy, the skin is crispy, and an aromatic sauce forms at the bottom of the roasting pan. It’s a dish that looks impressive on the table, but in practice mostly requires patiently waiting for the oven to do its job.
A whole roast chicken with herbs is one of the most comforting and elegant classics of French home cooking. With just a few simple ingredients, you get juicy meat, crispy skin and a naturally rich sauce from the roasting juices.
Chef's tips
Make sure the chicken is well dried before you add salt and butter – this helps the skin crisp up. Don’t skip the resting time after roasting; it keeps the meat juicy and makes carving easier.
How to serve
Serve carved chicken pieces on a warm platter, surrounded by the roasted vegetables. Spoon the pan juices over the top and offer extra on the side. Add a green salad and some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Ingredients
- whole chicken cleaned, without giblets - 1.5 kg
- butter soft, at room temperature - 60 g
- garlic fresh - 4 cloves
- lemon well washed - 1 piece
- thyme dried leaves or a few sprigs of fresh - 2 teaspoons
- rosemary dried needles or 2 sprigs of fresh - 1 teaspoon
- potatoes optional, to roast together with the chicken - 600 g
- carrot optional, for roasting - 2 piece
- olive oil for the vegetables - 1 tablespoon
- salt for rubbing the chicken
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- water for the roasting pan - 100 ml
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom heat). Take the chicken out of the fridge about 20 minutes before roasting so it’s not ice-cold.
- Pat the chicken dry thoroughly with paper towels inside and out. Generously salt the cavity and the outside, and sprinkle with pepper.
- Peel the garlic. Press two cloves through a garlic press or chop finely, leave the remaining cloves whole and lightly crush them with a knife. Cut the lemon in half.
- In a small bowl, mix the soft butter with the pressed garlic, thyme and rosemary. You’ll get an aromatic paste.
- Gently loosen the skin over the chicken breasts by sliding your fingers between the skin and the meat, taking care not to tear it. Massage part of the herb butter directly onto the meat under the breast skin. Spread the remaining butter all over the outside of the chicken.
- Place the lemon halves and the crushed garlic cloves inside the chicken cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine so the chicken holds its shape (if you don’t have twine, you can skip this step).
- Peel the potatoes and carrots and cut them into larger pieces. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan or large ovenproof dish. Arrange the vegetables around it. Pour about 100 ml of water into the bottom of the dish.
- Put in the oven and roast for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Every 20 minutes, baste the chicken and vegetables with the juices that collect at the bottom of the pan. The skin should gradually become golden and crispy.
- After about an hour, check if the chicken is done: pierce the thickest part of the thigh – the juices should run clear, with no traces of blood. If needed, roast for another 10–15 minutes.
- After removing from the oven, loosely cover the chicken with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10–15 minutes so the juices in the meat can settle. Then carve into portions and serve with the roasted vegetables and the pan juices.
Storage
Resztki kurczaka przechowuj w lodówce do 3 dni, oddzielając mięso od kości. Możesz je też zamrozić w porcjach i wykorzystać do sałatek, makaronów lub kanapek.
This is the kind of recipe that quickly becomes a household ritual: once you’ve made it a couple of times, you’ll be able to prepare it almost on autopilot, adjusting the herbs and vegetables to whatever you have on hand.
