Hey, it’s the first French Fridays with Dorie of 2012 (for me, anyway)! And this week….M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken. This is a pretty easy and delicious weeknight dinner. I typically prefer roasted-type birds with golden, crackly skin, but to its credit, this was one helluva moist bird. And, with the new year’s resolutions and all, it’s probably best to not be tempted to eat all that tasty, golden, crackly skin.
Notes:
1. My bird was about 2.75 pounds and I roasted it for 55 minutes. It came out perfectly done and super moist.
2. I used a mix of gold, red and purple potatoes and two rosemary sprigs (no thyme).
3. I added garlic to the pot (duh).
4. I only had fairly cheap brandy. I used that, although, I did contemplate using some marsala wine instead. The cheap brandy seemed to work fine.
5. I wish I had salted everything just a smidge more.
Okay, onward to the photos and here’s a link to everyone’s chicken posts.
Onions, carrots, potatoes and rosemary in the pot. Is there room for the chicken?
Yes. If it’s tiny. Notice the sliced garlic cloves.
I put foil around my lid nob knob just in case it wouldn’t be oven-safe at 450 degrees F.
After almost an hour…chicken-y deliciousness.
After removing the chicken and adding water (if I had any chicken stock on hand, I would have used that, I think).
Oh look how moist the white meat is!
Plated and ready for dinner.
I am with you in the crispy skin camp – although I did love how moist this was.
It was nice to find a simple one pot meal that still has a little “class”
Thanks, Cher! Yeah, it’s a trade-off I think (crispy skin vs. super-moist). And while this was a very good dinner, I think my all time fave roast chicken is still Thomas Keller’s Simple Roast Chicken…
I kept looking at the recipe to see if it called for garlic! Great addition and one I will make in the future.
Yes, this was a moist and tender chicken, but I”m with you on the crispy skin!
Like you, I found myself doubting if I could fit everything on my 5qt Dutch oven. It’s nice to fantasize about a 9qt… I already had a post-it note on the recipe with the ideas for a clove or two of garlic. Now I’m adding chicken stock for the water to the list!
That is some good looking meat. This is definitely one of my favorite recipes!
I just love that this meal is so easy. A one pot meal in a little over an hour, with hardly any effort from me … that’s a winner!
I like crispy skin with moist meat! I think this was such a great recipe, you prep it, bake it and forget about it – perfect for lazy days, or rushed work days! Like your addition of the garlic.
I worried about the knob too so I removed the whole thing all together and plugged the hole! 😀 I love the rainbow of potatoes you used.
I really like the picture of the chicken with the slice of breast meat carved off–it captures the tender moistness this recipe gives.
Though I prefer crispy skin, this was still a winner. I love your multi-colored potatoes and I wish I’d thought to add garlic like you did. I also never thought to protect the knob on my pot, but that’s a good idea for next time (even though it survived the blast of heat). Great job!
I had to kind of stuff my chick into the pot with the veg! I wonder if that’s why it didn’t brown. Even though it was a pale chick it was delicious. Your photos are quite nice. Is that natural light?
Candy: Everything needs garlic! 😉
Liz: Agreed. I did miss the crispy but it was still great!
Adriana: Mine *just* fit. Glad it was a runty chicken! 😉
Eileen: Thanks! I think I’ll be making this again sometime too.
Frankly: Yep, me too!
Confessions: Thanks! It is a great weeknight meal.
Marie: Thanks! I just had to take a pic of that. When I sliced that off to check the breast, it was practically dripping with moisture!
Betsy: I wouldn’t have thought to do anything with the knob either, but I saw people talking about it at the FFwD Facebook group and it jogged my memory about the black knobs supposedly not being perfectly oven-safe at high temps. I have actually put it in the oven before at higher temps and have never had a problem, but I figured since I was just reminded of it, may as well wrap in foil 🙂
Lola: Mine was pretty pale too. The legs got a little golden, but that was about it. And thanks! I actually put it on top of the stove and used the cooktop light for all these pics. It was actually already dark out by the time I got home and started making this! 🙂
You nailed my reaction in that it was one moist chicken, but I too am a fan of the crispy yummy skin part of the roast chicken. I am one of those lunatics that even pulls it off…flips it over and takes a butter knife to remove the excess fat- leaving only crisp. There- I admitted it 🙂 And no, Nana did NOT teach me that trick. So while I am not sure that I will revisit this one, I did have fun trying. And your photos are awesome !!! Happy 2012 ~
Tricia: Thanks! And, hmmm, I might steal that trick 😉
Your chicken and veggies look delightfully tasty!