M. Jacques' Armagnac Chicken

I first posted this almost a year ago and it truly was one of the best Roasted Chicken recipes that I have ever prepared. I also just love this cookbook and cook from it often. I highly recommend this book.

Today I am linking this repost to Chari's blogging party Sunday Favorites at Happy to Design. 

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I am working my way through Dorie Greenspans latest cookbook, Around My French Table. This is an excellent book and one I have thoroughly enjoyed cooking from. This morning I wrote out my grocery list but not before looking at Dorie's book to see what I wanted to prepare next.

I love a good roasted chicken, it is such comfort food. Dorie's recipe for M. Jacques' Armagnac Chicken is outstanding. Truly dinner party fare but my DH and I just loved it for just the two of us as well.

m. jacques' armagnac chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

8 small thin-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and halved lengthwise

3 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

2 carrots, trimmed, peeled, and thickly sliced on the diagonal

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 thyme sprig

1 rosemary sprig

1 bayleaf

1 chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds, preferably organic, trussed (or wings turned under and feet tied together with kitchen string), at room temperature

1/2 cup Armagnac (Cognac or other brandy

1 cup water

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. You'll need a heavy casserole with a tight-fitting cover, one large enough to hold the chicken snugly but still leave room for the vegetables. (I use an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven.)

Put the casserole over medium heat and pour in the oil. When it's warm, toss in the vegetables and turn them around in the oil for a minute or two until they glisten; season with salt and white pepper. Stir in the herbs and push everything toward the sides of the pot to make way for the chicken. Rub the chicken all over with salt and white pepper, nestle it in the pot, and pour the Armagnac around it. Leave the pot on the heat for a minute to warm the Armagnac, then cover it tightly- if your lid is shaky, cover the pot with a piece of aluminum foil and then put the cover in place.

Slide the casserole into the oven and let the chicken roast undisturbed for 60 minutes.

Transfer the pot to the stove, and carefully remove the lid and the foil, if you used it-make sure to open the lid away from you, because there will be a lot of steam. After admiring the beautifully browned chicken, very carefully transfer it to a warm platter or , better yet, a bowl; cover loosely with a foil tent.

Using a spoon, skim off the fat that have risen to the top of the cooking liquid and discard it; pick out the bay leaf and discard it too. Turn the heat to medium, stir the vegetables gently to dislodge any that might have stuck to the bottom of the pot, and add the water, stirring to blend it with the pan juices. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens ever so slightly, then taste for salt and pepper.

Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables and sauce.

All my ingredients are prepped and I used a six quart oval Le Crusuet covered casserole.

 When I prepare a dish for the first time I always go exactly by the directions so I did in fact use Armagnac. However, in France the Armagnac refers to the region. You could indeed substitute Cognac as Dorie mentions in her book.

Just before popping it into the oven. I failed to get a picture after it came out of the oven, silly me but I must say that I did have to put it back in the oven uncovered to brown just a little more.

This was a superb dinner and that sauce, oh my.

I will never prepare Roasted Chicken any other way now. Amazingly delicious.

Thank you for visiting my blog and please do come again.