Note: The leftover stock can be used as a wonderful base for soups; try a mushroom soup with this truffle-enhanced stock, blend with fully cooked chestnuts for an earthy soup, or simply add vermicelli to the broth.
Ingredients
- 1 heritage chicken (4 pounds), such as D’Artagnan Green Circle Chicken
- 3 ounces black truffle butter, such as D’Artagnan Black Truffle Butter
- 7 ounces demi-glace, such as D’Artagnan Duck & Veal Demi-Glace
- 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, thickly sliced
- 1 head garlic, peeled
- Piment d’espelette, optional
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Coarse salt, for serving
Method
- Rinse the chicken and, starting at the neck, carefully separate the skin from the breast and upper thighs with your fingers; be careful not to tear the skin. Rub truffle butter all over the flesh under the skin. Truss the chicken. Note: This is not mandatory but makes it easier to handle the bird later.
- In a stock pot large enough to hold the chicken, combine the demi-glace, carrots, onions, and garlic.
- Add the chicken to the pot along with enough cold water to cover the chicken. Season generously with salt and optional piment d’espelette. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot with a lid; simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the chicken slowly cool to room temperature in the broth, which can take up to 4 hours. Set a small plate on the chicken to make sure that it is submerged and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, preheat oven to 375°F. Take the bird out of the pot; place it on a rack in a roasting pan and roast it in the oven until the skin is golden and crisped to your liking, about 20-30 minutes. Turn the oven off, leaving the bird inside resting and waiting for the dinner party to be done with the appetizer.
- When you are ready, the bird will be perfectly cooked and nicely roasted. Sprinkle with coarse salt, carve, and serve.
This chicken recipe ensures juicy meat and a crackling brown skin by following a traditional process from Bresse, the French region known for their poultry, where Jacques is from. It involves first poaching the bird, then roasting it the next day. My variation on the way Jacques’ mother prepared it includes a secret ingredient—truffle butter rubbed under the skin which imparts rich flavor and a heady aroma.