This bird is a bold twist on the French Classic with crispy skin, peppercorn sauce, and a rich, pan-roasted flavor. Au Poivre is no longer just for steak, and is easy enough for Monday night.
Chicken is elevated here. She’s shiny. The sauce is insane, and is honestly one of the lowest maintenance dinners you can make – the oven does all the work. Make it tonight, make it Saturday, and put it on repeat.
Spatchcocked Chicken Au Poivre
Roast Chicken in a Creamy Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 lb roasting chicken, spatchcocked
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt (less if using Morton)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (for the sauce)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1.5 Tbsp whole peppercorns
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 4-5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Madeira, or dry sherry
Instructions
- If you are unable to purchase your chicken already spatchcocked, I'll include notes below on how to do it at home - it's not hard! Place the chicken skin side up in a large roasting pan, or a baking sheet. Generously coat both sides of the chicken (underneath and skin side) with 1 Tbsp of kosher salt. Drizzle the olive oil on the skin side as well. Let sit to room temp while the oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 375 with a rack positioned in the middle.
- Put your peppercorns in a large ziplock bag, and using a rolling pin or a flat bottomed small skillet, smash them to break up into large pieces - you are looking for a VERY coarse texture here, so don't go nuts. Place them in a large pyrex or mixing bowl with the rosemary, garlic, shallots, and remaining 1 tsp kosher salt. Add the two cups of heavy cream, and whisk to combine - set aside.
- Roast the chicken for about 15 minutes at 375, at which point the skin should be lightly golden. Pull the chicken out, and increase the oven temp to 400 degrees. Pour the peppercorn sauce all over the chicken, and then add the madeira (or dry sherry) to the bottom of the pan, mixing gently with the cream sauce (I try to avoid pouring this directly on the chicken, as you want that cream sauce to cling to the skin).
- Place the chicken back into the oven for about 35-45 minutes, basting with the cream sauce at least twice during this time. Using a meat thermometer, test for doneness (165 degrees in the thickest part) - allow the chicken to rest for at least 10-15 minutes. Serve with lots of crusty bread to soak up that cream sauce - it's insanely good. I like to sauté mushrooms to serve along side too.
- ENJOY!
Notes
Note on how to spatchcock your chicken: Lay the bird breast side down on a cutting board, using very sharp scissors or a chef's knife, cut along side the backbone. (You can leave the back bone attached on one side, or completely remove it - roasting with the backbone attached allows for more collagen release). Open the chicken up, and with the skin side facing up, push down on the breast bone to make the chicken lay flat and fully spread out.
