We need to have an honest discussion about roast chicken. Although I am focused on Julia Child’s roast chicken recipe – because it’s what I made most recently – I’ve tried many other variations and they almost all suffer from the same problem. Namely, they significantly underestimate cooking time.
Rarely have I seen a roast chicken recipe highlight that the bird MUST be at room temperature prior to putting it in the oven. Even if you defrosted it over several days or prepped it for fifteen minutes out of the fridge, it’s probably not ready. An average size bird needs a good thirty minutes or more before any prep or oven time. If it doesn’t get that, it won’t be done within the estimated roasting time of any recipe, whether Julia Child or Daniel Boulud.
Why recipes don’t highlight this important factor is baffling. I’m stressing it here so you don’t battle with roast chickens like me. I regularly succumbed to the misimpression I could cook a 3-pound bird in less than an hour and a half before realizing my fatal flaw.
This is only the beginning of the truth about Julia Child’s roast chicken recipe
Let me be clear, however: Julia Child’s recipe is great. It’s a perfectionist’s version of roast chicken. It’s meant for the chicken-obsessed. The cook striving for the juiciest and most satisfying bird possible.
All of that should be a warning to you. If you want a video version of the truth, you can find it here:
Otherwise, keep reading.
Apart from the bird’s temperature from the start, the other major surprise is the labor involved in this recipe. Most roast chicken recipes are laid-back affairs. They’re relatively easy and hands-free.
Prep the bird, place the bird in the oven, wait, and relax. There is nothing relaxing about this recipe. As you’ll see from the recipe and instructions below, this roast chicken requires constant manual rotation, basting, and salting. You cannot leave the oven area for more than 10 minutes before being called back for another task.
So before making this version, know what you’re getting yourself into.
Is it worth it?
I’m going to give a cop-out answer. You’ll have to see for yourself. If you watch the video, you’ll see that I’m skeptical. I’ve made various roast chicken recipes, turkey recipes, and numerous other meat recipes, and never once have I labored over the meat as I did here.
The truth is that I didn’t notice a major difference. In fact, I think some of my previous roast chickens – versions I did not baste or rotate constantly – were just as juicy, if not more so. I used different approaches in the past like massaging butter under the bird’s skin or covering the bird with foil for most of the cooking process to keep it moist, both of which I thought worked very well.
The roast chicken from this recipe was good, especially with the sauce we made below, but it wasn’t the best I’ve ever done. It may not have even been in my top five. But then again I was trying new techniques and user error could have been a factor.
A perfectionist’s roast chicken recipe
As we say in the legal profession before assuming a risk: caveat emptor. BUYER BEWARE.
This roast chicken recipe is not for everyone. Just as Parisian Gnocchi is not for someone who prefers their pasta from the box.
This recipe is not for the average home cook who is looking to get dinner on the table as quickly as possible. It’s not a thirty-minute meal or even an hour and thirty-minute meal.
It’s a labor of love.
It’s designed for someone who wants to maximize flavor. Someone who wants to bring out the best of their bird. A cook who wants a truly French culinary experience in their home kitchen.
I’ve added some of my own commentaries based on my attempt at this recipe, but by and large, the roast chicken recipe below is Julia’s. If you do attempt it, be sure to let me know how you fared in the comments. Hopefully, you have an easier time than what I had when documenting it in this video.
Whatever you though make sure to bring your bird up to room temperature before starting anything! Clear everyone in the house out of the kitchen. Tell them you’ll see them all in about 3 hours (but aim for no more than 2 hours and 30 minutes).
Bon appetit!
Julia Child's Roast Chicken Recipe (Poulet Roti)
This is a classic roast chicken recipe from Julia Child with my own touches, including the harsh realities of the time and execution required to create this dish.
Ingredients
- 1. 3-lb, ready-to-cook (ROOM TEMPERATURE) whole chicken
- 2. 1 tsp of salt
- 3. 6 tbsp melted butter
- 4. small sliced carrot
- 5. small sliced onion
- 6. 1 lemon
- 7. 1/2 shallot
- 8. 1 cup chicken stock
Directions
- Step 1 Bring whole chicken to room temperature (important!)
- Step 2 Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Step 3 Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with 1/4 tsp of salt, smear in 2 tbsp of the butter, cut the lemon in quarters, and stuff the chicken, and finally, truss or tie the chicken legs with a string
- Step 4 Place the chicken breast up on a roasting tray or pan (make sure it’s elevated to catch drippings), and slice the onion and carrot, placing them at the bottom of the tray or pan
- Step 5 Prepare basting sauce in a small saucepan – melt 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp cooking oil
- Step 6 Brown the chicken for 15 minutes, turning once after 5 minutes on its left, and finishing on its right side after another 5 minutes, basting rapidly at each turn so the oven does not cool
- Step 7 Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, leaving the bird on its side, basting every 8-10 minutes (once the basting sauce is exhausted, use the drippings in the bottom of the pan)
- Step 8 Halfway through estimated roasting time, salt the chicken with 1/4 tsp, and turn on its other side, while still basting every 8-10 minutes
- Step 9 15 minutes before the end of the estimated roasting time, salt again with about 1/4 tsp and turn the chicken breast up, while still basting every 8-10 minutes
- Step 10 Check the chicken temperature with a probe thermometer if you have it (needs to be at least 165 degrees on its side by the wing)
- Step 11 If chicken is not done, return to the oven and check every 5 minutes, basting at each check
- Step 12 When done, place chicken on a platter and let sit for 15 minutes (Julia said 5-10 minutes, but I think this is too short)
- Step 13 In the meantime, prepare your sauce with 1/2 tbsp minced shallot, 1 cup chicken stock, salt, 2 tbsp melted butter, and approximately 2 tbsp of the chicken drippings from the bottom of your pan/tray – reduce liquid to about 1/2 cup
- Step 14 Pour a spoonful over the chicken and send the remaining to sauce to the table in a sauceboat
