French Sunday Roast Chicken with Pommes Boulangère and Natural Jus

By Culiora

A quintessential French weekend meal featuring crisp-skinned roast chicken basted with herb butter, garlic, and lemon. Served alongside tender layered Pommes Boulangère, roasted sweet shallots, crisp-tender green beans, and a glossy natural pan jus.

• Servings: 4
• Prep time: 35 min
• Cook time: 105 min
• Total time: 140 min

Ingredients

• 1.6 kg whole chicken (approx. 1.6 kg), giblets removed and patted thoroughly dry
• 50 g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pcs lemon, halved
• 1 pcs head of garlic, halved crosswise
• 6 pcs fresh thyme sprigs
• 300 g shallots, peeled and left whole
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
• 0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 900 g waxy potatoes (such as Charlotte or Yukon Gold), peeled and sliced 3 mm thick
• 2 pcs medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 30 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 400 ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 400 g fine French green beans (haricots verts), trimmed
• 20 g unsalted butter
• 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 250 ml rich chicken stock
• 20 g cold unsalted butter, cubed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Grease a shallow 20x30 cm baking dish with a little butter.
2. Prepare the Pommes Boulangère: Melt 30 g butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and cook slowly for 10–12 minutes until soft and pale golden. In the prepared dish, arrange half the sliced potatoes in neat overlapping layers, season lightly with salt and pepper, scatter over the softened onions and chopped thyme, then layer the remaining potatoes on top. Season again and pour over 400 ml hot chicken stock until it reaches just below the top layer. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
3. Prepare the chicken: Season the cavity of the chicken with 0.5 tsp salt and insert both lemon halves, one half of the garlic head, and 3 thyme sprigs. Gently ease your fingers under the breast skin to separate it from the meat, then rub 30 g softened butter directly over the breast meat under the skin. Rub the remaining 20 g softened butter all over the exterior skin, then season the skin generously with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper. Tie the legs together loosely with kitchen twine.
4. Toss the whole peeled shallots with 1 tbsp olive oil, the remaining half head of garlic, and 3 thyme sprigs in the centre of a large roasting pan. Set the chicken on top of the aromatics and shallots.
5. Roasting schedule: Uncover the Pommes Boulangère and return it to the lower oven rack. Place the roasting pan with the chicken on the middle rack. Roast at 200°C (180°C fan) for 65–75 minutes, basting the chicken and shallots with pan juices every 20 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and crisp, the potatoes are tender and browned on top, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken thigh reaches 74°C.
6. Transfer the roasted chicken and sweet shallots to a warm carving board or platter; tent loosely with foil and let rest for 15–20 minutes. Discard the garlic head and thyme sprigs from the roasting tin.
7. Make the jus: Pour off excess melted fat from the roasting pan, leaving the browned residue and 1 tbsp fat. Place the pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop, pour in 150 ml dry white wine, and scrape up all the caramelised bits with a wooden spoon. Boil vigorously until reduced by two-thirds (about 3–4 minutes). Add 250 ml chicken stock, bring to a simmer, and reduce by half until lightly syrupy (about 5 minutes). Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan, return to low heat, and whisk in 20 g cold butter cubes until glossy. Keep warm.
8. Cook the beans: While the chicken rests and the jus simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the haricots verts and cook for 3–4 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain thoroughly, then toss immediately in the warm pot with 20 g unsalted butter and 0.5 tsp sea salt.
9. Carve the chicken into breasts, thighs, and drumsticks. Serve alongside generous portions of Pommes Boulangère, buttered haricots verts, roasted shallots, and spoon the warm jus over the meat.