Roast Chicken with Creme Fraiche and Herbs via A KITCHEN IN FRANCE - Recipe and Cookbook Review (2024)

The short version of my longer review of the book (seethis post) is that the book is astounding. Stunningly beautiful photographs, wonderful descriptions of her family and life in the French countryside and of course wonderful recipes. I made 6 dishes for my party and each came out as expected, and wonderful!

I served in courses, First course was to be a Soup and Sandwich. I sort of fudged the sandwich and served the Onion Tart as the sandwich. The pumpkin soup was served with the tart. The flaming Shrimp was served as an appetizer and we are now into the main course with a side dish... here's the Meat Course!

The chicken tasted fantastic. Reminded me of the best taste of Buttermilk Fried Chicken without the coating... Just about as moist a chicken as you could imagine.

I did have a logistics problem... I used an instant read meat thermometer to measure the internal temperature. The chickens I had took almost an hour 45 minutes to cook. Much longer than the 1 hour suggested in the recipe. The delay affected the timing of the meal. Remember, I was serving in courses so there was about a 30 minute delay between the appetizer course and this Main meat course. Which was plenty of time to refill wine glasses and even break out a bit of Sambuca (the flaming agent from the previous course). But, next time I make this dish I will add a bit more cooking time. Possibly the extra coating of the thick cream added time to the process.

But the dish was a big success. White meat just as tender and juicy as the dark. And the dark meat was even more filled with flavor than usual.

A near perfect roasted chicken recipe!

Roast Chicken with
Creme Fraiche and Herbs

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 Cups Creme Fraiche
• 8 Cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 Medium Shallot, Thinly Sliced
• A large Bunch of Fresh Parsley Leaves, removed and Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Herbes de Provance
• Fine Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Whole Chickens, about 3 pounds each

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix the Creme Fraiche, Garlic, Parsley, Herbes de Provance, Salt and Pepper. Spoon a quarter of the mixture inside the cavity of the chicken. Truss the chicken securely with kitchen twine. Rub the remaining cream in a thick layer all over the chickens, making sure to rub inside the thighs and wings. Sprinkle Course Sea Salt over the chickens and put them in a roasting pan.
3. Roast the chicken until golden brown or the internal meat thermometer registers 165 degree at several spots, most importantly in the thickest part of the meat. The juices should run clear, not pink when you prick the thigh with a knife... About 1 hour.
4. Let the chickens rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.