Chef Juliette
Accompaniment of Roasts
The roast keeps its sauce and gains its proper escort: lofty Yorkshire pudding for beef, sage and onion dressing for birds, or veal stuffing for pork and veal, each scaled for four.
Culinary Explorer
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Roast Chicks
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 1959, Roast Chicks, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Four young chickens, butter-basted under cover and bronzed uncovered, then returned to their earthenware casserole with a short veal gravy. The lesson is restraint: stock enters only after roasting.
Main Dishes
French
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
One Pot
20 min
Active Time
55 min cook•1 hr 15 min total
Yield4 servings
Poussins à la casserole (roast chicks in their cooking pot) teach why small birds need protection, not fuss. A poussin is too small for a long turn on the spit; its breast dries before a larger roast would properly color. In a covered casserole, butter surrounds the bird, then the lid comes off for bronze. The one true thing is this: covered is not braised. No liquid touches the poussins until they are cooked. The book names this butter-roasting method Poëlings (No. 250).
The brigade text assumes seasoned earthenware and excellent brown veal stock from a pot never off the fire. Its aromatic vegetable coating, barding fat, buttered paper, a saucier's cloth, and a salamander belong to larger pieces or other service. They are scaffolding here. The en casserole branch deliberately reduces the method to butter, a covered vessel, and a very short gravy. At home, a heavy lidded casserole that can pass safely from oven to low burner is the honest equivalent. The same pot roasts, deglazes, and comes to table. One cook, one stove, one evening.
The reward is four burnished little birds with tender flesh, crisp-edged skin, and just enough amber gravy to wet each plate. The step that decides the dish comes after roasting: lift out the poussins before adding stock, then let that stock simmer with the cooking butter for ten full minutes before you skim. Reverse the order and the flavor goes down the drain.
Poussins en casserole belong to the Parisian cuisine bourgeoise table and the national classical repertoire, where small young birds were cooked in butter in an earthenware vessel and carried to table in that same pot. The preparation traveled readily from the grand kitchen to the home because its elaborate parent method, with aromatic vegetables, barding fat, and buttered paper, was deliberately pared back for en casserole service. Despite the English heading Roast Chicks, this is not a braise: stock never touches the birds until roasting is complete, when it becomes the short gravy.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
poussins
Quantity
4 birds, 1 to 1¼ pounds (450 to 570 g) each, for Poëlings (No. 250)
giblets removed and birds dried well
unsalted butter
Quantity
8 tablespoons (120 ml / 113 g)
divided
fine sea salt
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g)
divided
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 2 g)
rich, unsalted brown veal stock
Quantity
1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g)
heated
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| poussinsgiblets removed and birds dried well | 4 birds, 1 to 1¼ pounds (450 to 570 g) each, for Poëlings (No. 250) |
| unsalted butterdivided | 8 tablespoons (120 ml / 113 g) |
| fine sea saltdivided | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 12 g) |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 2 g) |
| rich, unsalted brown veal stockheated | 1½ cups (360 ml / 360 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •6- to 7-quart (5.7 to 6.6 L) flameproof lidded earthenware casserole or enameled cast-iron cocotte
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Shallow spoon for degreasing
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the poussins
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) with a rack in the lower-middle position. Dry the poussins thoroughly, including inside the cavities. Tuck the wing tips underneath and tie the ankles together so the birds cook compactly. Season inside and out with 1½ teaspoons (7.5 ml / 9 g) of the salt and all the pepper, reserving the remaining salt for the gravy. Let them stand only while the oven heats. A dry surface takes color; a wet one stays pale.
- 2
Roast under cover
Melt 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 85 g) of the butter over low heat in a 6- to 7-quart (5.7 to 6.6 L) flameproof casserole, without letting it color. Roll each poussin through the butter once, then arrange the birds snugly breast-side up and spoon the butter over them. Following Poëlings (No. 250), add no stock, water, vegetables, or herbs. Cover tightly and roast for 20 minutes, basting once after 10 minutes and turning the casserole front to back.
The vessel should hold the four birds snugly without crushing them together. Too much empty space lets the butter scorch; overcrowding keeps the skin pale. - 3
Bronze them uncovered
Remove the lid and baste the birds generously. Continue roasting uncovered for 18 to 25 minutes, basting every 6 to 8 minutes and feeding in the reserved 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of cold butter during the final basting. The poussins are ready when the skin is an even deep gold and the thickest part of each thigh reaches 165°F (74°C) without touching bone. If the butter races toward black flecks or smells acrid, lower the oven to 350°F (175°C), add a piece of the cold butter, and move the pot down one rack. Ça se rattrape. If the meat reaches about 155°F (68°C) while the skin is still pale, raise the oven to 425°F (220°C) for the final 3 to 5 minutes. That brief hotter finish is the home oven's answer to a salamander.
- 4
Make the short gravy
Transfer the poussins to a warm platter and cover them loosely. Do not discard or skim the cooking butter yet. Following Poëlings (No. 250), set the casserole over medium heat and pour in 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g) of the hot brown veal stock, reserving the rest. Scrape the fond from the bottom and simmer gently for 10 minutes, until the liquid has absorbed the flavor held in the butter and reduced to roughly ¾ cup (180 ml / 180 g). Only now tilt the pot and skim away the clear excess fat with a shallow spoon. If the gravy still swims with butter, turn off the heat for 30 seconds so the fat gathers, then skim again. If it is thin, reduce it a little longer; if too concentrated, loosen it with the reserved stock. This is a short jus, not a thickened sauce.
- 5
Return and serve
Taste the gravy and add some or all of the reserved salt only if it needs it. Return the poussins to the casserole and spoon the gravy around them rather than over the bronzed breasts. Warm over the lowest heat for 1 to 2 minutes without allowing the gravy to boil. Bring the casserole directly to the table and give each person one bird, with the gravy passed from the pot. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Look for poussins weighing 1 to 1¼ pounds (450 to 570 g). Small Cornish game hens are the honest substitute. If yours weigh closer to 1½ pounds (680 g), allow another 8 to 12 minutes and trust the thermometer rather than the clock.
- •The original earthenware improved with use and required lengthy boiling and soaking when new. A current glazed flameproof casserole needs only the care its maker specifies. If the vessel is not approved for direct heat, use an enameled cast-iron cocotte so the gravy can be made safely in the roasting pot.
- •The gravy has only stock, fond, and the flavor carried by butter, so the stock matters. Good frozen or refrigerated veal stock that sets softly when cold is the useful home equivalent to the brigade stockpot. Avoid heavily salted stock because reduction will magnify the salt.
- •Serve with pommes purée or buttered peas, something quiet that catches the gravy without competing with the birds. A white Burgundy or a light Beaujolais suits the butter and delicate meat.
- •Cool leftovers within two hours and refrigerate them with the gravy for up to 3 days. Reheat covered over gentle heat until the meat reaches 165°F (74°C), loosening the gravy with a spoonful of stock if needed.
Advance Preparation
- •The poussins can be dried, seasoned, and refrigerated uncovered for up to 8 hours. This dries the skin further and improves its color; remove the birds while the oven heats.
- •The brown veal stock can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and kept refrigerated, or frozen in measured portions. Heat it before adding it to the roasting pot.
- •Do not roast the poussins ahead if you can avoid it. These small birds are at their best directly from the casserole, and reheating costs both moisture and the crisp edge of the skin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 320g)
Calories
810 calories
Total Fat
55 g
Saturated Fat
23 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
28 g
Cholesterol
275 mg
Sodium
1420 mg
Total Carbohydrates
2 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
73 g
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