Poulet Rôti à la Française

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Normandy (Normandie)

📍 Where this dish comes from: Normandy (Normandie)
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Poulet Rôti à la Française, plated and ready to serve

The perfect French roast chicken — trussed, seasoned inside and out with herbed butter, roasted on a bed of thyme, garlic, and shallots, basted repeatedly until the skin crackles to a deep mahogany and the butter-scented juices run golden. This is the Sunday lunch that defines French home cooking, timeless, comforting, and always perfect.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Poulet Rôti à la Française

Poulet Rôti à la Française

The perfect French roast chicken — trussed, seasoned inside and out with herbed butter, roasted on a bed of thyme, garlic, and shallots.
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 520kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken (1.8–2kg, free-range)
  • 60 g softened butter Herbed butter
  • 2 garlic cloves minced Herbed butter
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme Herbed butter
  • 1 tbsp tarragon Herbed butter
  • zest of 1/2 lemon Herbed butter
  • 6 shallots halved
  • 1 head garlic halved horizontally
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 lemon halved
  • 100 ml dry white wine (for the pan)
  • Salt and black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 220°C. Mix herbed butter ingredients together. Season.
  • Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the breasts and thighs. Push herbed butter under the skin, spreading evenly.
  • Season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Put lemon halves and thyme in the cavity. Truss.
  • Place shallots and garlic halves in roasting tin. Set chicken on top, breast-side down.
  • Roast 20 minutes. Flip breast-side up. Baste with pan juices. Add white wine.
  • Reduce heat to 190°C. Roast 50–60 minutes more, basting every 20 minutes.
  • Rest 20 minutes before carving. Deglaze the tin with a splash of water or stock for jus.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 520kcal | Protein: 48g | Fat: 34g | Fiber: 1g
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Cooking Poulet Rôti à la Française in the kitchen

Health Benefits

  • Free-range chicken tends to have a more favorable omega-3 to omega-6 ratio and more vitamin E than factory-raised birds.
  • Thyme contains thymol, a compound studied for its antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
  • The pan jus provides collagen from the bones, studied for its potential role in joint health.

Pairs Well With

  • Gratin Dauphinois Keto Chou-fleur
  • Ratatouille Provençale
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