Poulet de Grains Clamart

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-quart (4.7-liter) heavy cocotte with lid
• •2-quart (1.9-liter) saucepan for the referenced pea preparation
• •Tongs
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Stage the peas

   Prepare the Petits Pois à la Française (No. 2193) from its own entry, stopping when the peas are only half-cooked: yielding at the surface but still firm at the center. Measure the required amount with its lettuce and small onions. Tilt the saucepan; the liquor should gather into no more than about 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g), a shallow gloss rather than a puddle. If there is more, lift out the peas and onions, reduce the liquor briefly, then return them. Ça se rattrape. Withhold the preparation's final off-heat butter coherence, because this Clamart formula expressly leaves the peas uncohered.

   Do not judge the peas by color alone. Taste one. It should give beneath the tooth but retain a small firm heart, since it still has to finish beside the chicken.
2. 2

   Dry and season

   Pat every chicken piece thoroughly dry, especially inside the joints and along the skin. Season evenly with the salt and pepper, then let the pieces stand for 15 minutes while the cocotte heats. A wet surface cannot take a proper butter-browned crust, and that color is the only foundation this spare preparation receives.

3. 3

   Brown in butter

   Set a heavy 5-quart (4.7-liter) cocotte over medium heat and melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter. When the foam subsides and the milk solids turn pale hazelnut, lay in half the chicken skin-side down. Brown without crowding for 4 to 5 minutes, then color the other side for 2 minutes. Remove the first batch, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter, and repeat. Keep the final tablespoon in reserve. If the butter develops black specks or smells acrid, lift out the chicken, wipe away the burnt solids, lower the heat, and begin again with the reserved butter. Never build a dish on burnt fat.

   Move the pieces only when the skin releases willingly. If it clings, the crust has not formed yet; give it another thirty seconds.
4. 4

   Half-cook the chicken

   Return every piece to the cocotte, skin-side up, adding the reserved butter if it was not needed for rescue. Cover, lower the heat, and cook gently for 6 to 8 minutes, turning the leg pieces once while leaving the breast pieces skin-side up. The chicken should be hot but distinctly underdone at its center, roughly 125 to 130°F (52 to 54°C) in the thickest breast. This is not a holding point. Continue directly to the peas.

5. 5

   Finish together

   Spoon the half-cooked peas, lettuce, onions, and their short liquor around and beneath the chicken, keeping the browned skin exposed. Cover and hold the cocotte at the barest tremble for 8 minutes, then uncover and test. Shake the cocotte once or twice instead of stirring, so the peas remain whole. The breast meat must reach 165°F (74°C), the leg joints should move easily, and the peas should be tender but distinct. If the peas finish first, lift them into a warm bowl and cover them while the chicken continues. If the chicken finishes while liquor still pools in the cocotte, remove the bird, reduce the liquor for a minute, and return everything to the pan. Ça se rattrape, but do not add butter to bind the peas.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Take the cocotte off the heat and let the chicken rest uncovered for 5 minutes. Taste the short liquor before adding any more salt, since the pea preparation already carries its own seasoning. Settle the lettuce, onions, and peas generously around the pieces and bring the cocotte directly to the table, exactly as the preparation stands. No extra sauce and no ornamental garnish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher to quarter two small young chickens, or do it yourself. Size is technique here: one large roasting bird would keep the peas cooking long after they had lost their shape.
• •Use freshly shelled peas when they are genuinely sweet. Outside their brief season, small frozen peas are the honest classical pantry answer; add them frozen to the linked preparation and begin testing early because they reach the halfway point quickly.
• •Butter, not oil, gives this chicken its proper flavor and connects the browned fond to the pea liquor. Keep the heat moderate and listen to the pan. A lively sizzle is right; a bitter smell means the milk solids have gone too far.
• •Serve with small boiled potatoes if the table needs something more, keeping them plain enough to catch the buttery liquor. A dry, lightly rounded white such as Mâcon-Villages suits the sweet peas and browned chicken.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken may be quartered, seasoned, and refrigerated uncovered for up to 8 hours. The dry surface will brown particularly well; take it from the cold as you begin staging the peas.
• •The referenced pea preparation may be stopped at the half-cooked stage up to 4 hours ahead. Cool it promptly in a shallow dish, cover and refrigerate, then take it out as the chicken begins cooking.
• •The completed dish is best brought directly to the table. Leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 2 days, but reheat them very gently and remove the peas as soon as they are hot so they do not collapse.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)