Lunch / Dinner
Pot-Roasted Chicken with Dill Pan Sauce (Chicken Poêle)
Roasted chicken is universally loved. But instead of roasting the chicken using the standard dry-heat cooking method, try pot-roasting, or poêléing [pwah-lay] it. This moist-heat cooking method produces a juicier chicken than the typical roasted bird. And it’s as simple as placing the bird on a bed of mirepoix, basting it with butter, and roasting it, covered, to retain the most moisture. Once the chicken is cooked, prepare the delicate dill sauce to serve alongside the chicken.
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN, COMBINE:
STUFF:
STIR IN:
FOR THE SAUCE, WHISK:
Test Kitchen Tip
Chicken base is the result of reducing the chicken’s drippings and degreasing them. This recipe yields enough drippings for the sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° with rack in bottom third.
For the chicken, combine onions, carrots, celery, and bay leaves in bottom of a large Dutch oven.
Stuff chicken cavity with parsley and dill sprigs; tie legs together with kitchen string. Place chicken, trimmed fat, and neck in Dutch oven. Brush chicken with butter, cover, and transfer to oven.
Roast chicken 1 hour, basting twice with drippings in bottom of Dutch oven. Uncover Dutch oven and roast chicken until golden and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part, but not touching bone, registers 165°, about 50 minutes more. Transfer herbs from chicken cavity to drippings, then transfer chicken to a plate, and tent with foil.
Reduce drippings in Dutch oven over high heat by about half, 5–6 minutes.
Stir in Madeira and reduce by about half, 5–6 minutes. Stir in 1½ cups broth and reduce to 1 cup strained drippings, about 10 minutes; discard solids.
Degrease strained drippings. You should have ¼–½ cup chicken base left after degreasing the drippings.
For the sauce, whisk together 1–1¼ cups broth with the chicken base (use enough broth to yield 1½ cups total liquid) and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat until thickened. Whisk in minced dill and vinegar, then season sauce with salt. Serve sauce with chicken.
To add flavor and to help keep the bird moist from the inside out, stuff fresh herbs inside the cavity.
Add the neck and any trimmed fat from the chicken to the pot; they add flavor and moisture.
Covering the chicken while it roasts keeps all the moisture in the pot, yielding very juicy meat.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 668
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 44g 67%
Saturated Fat 13g 65%
Cholesterol 216mg 72%
Sodium 225mg 9%
Carbs 5g 1%
Fiber 0g 0%
Protein 53g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.