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–+ servings
French Pot Roast Chicken or Poulet au Pot in an enamelled Dutch oven.

French Pot Roast Chicken

by Jay Wadams

Jay Wadams - Cook, Author and Photographer. Owner daysofjay.com
A heart-warming classic, French Pot Roast Chicken or ‘Poulet au Pot’ is a terrific recipe for beautifully juicy, tender chicken with flavoursome root vegetables and a rich gravy. As a bonus, it's all cooked in one pot so less washing up!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1.4 kg whole chicken
  • 1 Tbsp butter softened
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 shallots or small red onions peeled and quartered from root to tip
  • 3 carrots sliced thickly on the diagonal
  • 2 celery sticks chopped
  • 100 g button mushrooms
  • 100 g bacon or prosciutto, diced diced
  • 500 g small potatoes halved
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp dried thyme or small bunch fresh thyme or rosemary chopped if fresh
  • 125 ml chicken stock or broth
  • 125 ml dry white wine
  • 1 small lemon
  • sea salt & pepper

Scan the QR Code to view the online recipe with detailed instructions, photos, hints, tips and more at daysofjay.com

Instructions

  • HEAT THE OVEN: Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4. Rub the chicken all over with the butter, then season well with salt and pepper, inside and out. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
  • COOK THE VEGETABLES: Heat the oil in a large heavy-based casserole dish (see notes). Add the shallots, carrots, celery, mushrooms and bacon and cook over high heat until the vegetables start to soften and brown, around 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, garlic, bay leaves and thyme or rosemary to the pot. Stir to coat in the oil and cook for a further 5 minutes.
  • ADD THE LIQUIDS: Pour the chicken stock and white wine into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned on flavour on the bottom of the pan. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat.
  • ROAST THE CHICKEN: Place the chicken on top of the vegetables, tucking the wings underneath the body. Squeeze over the lemon, dropping the halves into the pot. Cover with a tightly fitting lid (see note) then roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes, removing the lid for the last 20 minutes so the chicken gets nice and golden brown.
  • REST THE MEAT AND SERVE: When the chicken is done (you can check the temperature with a thermometer if you like, it should be 75°C of 165°F measured from the thickest part of the thigh), remove the pot from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Either remove the chicken to a warmed serving platter to slice and serve, or slice directly in the pot. Divide the chicken, vegetables and gravy between warmed plates and enjoy.

Notes

I use a large, oval enamelled cast-iron casserole dish that I picked up years ago. If you have a Le Creuset style pot, use that, otherwise, any heavy-based, oven-proof casserole dish with a lid will do.
If the lid isn’t tightly fitting, scrunch up a piece of baking paper, dampen it a little, then unfold it and place it between the lid and the pot to create a seal. If you don’t have a lid at all use a double layer of tinfoil.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25 chicken | Calories: 688kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 467mg | Potassium: 1225mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 7994IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg