Thyme-roasted chicken with breton onion sauce
This is really old-fashioned and a dream of a dish. I used to make sauce soubise (made from béchamel and puréed onions) from time to time for roast lamb, but never thought of putting an onion sauce with chicken. Then I read about Breton onion sauce (similar to sauce soubise) in one of my favourite cookbooks, Jenny Baker’s Cuisine Grandmère (it’s out of print but try to track down a copy, it’s a gem). She suggested serving it with roast chicken. My Breton sauce is based on her recipe. It’s basically a cream-enriched béchamel mixed with a soft, melting mass of cooked onions and a good slug of Calvados.
It’s best to back-time the béchamel to be ready just when the chicken has rested. You can do the onion component in advance, but reheating béchamel is always a bit of a pain.
Ingrediënten
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 1.8 kg 4lb chicken
- 25 g scant 1oz unsalted butter
- leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme
- salt and pepper
FOR THE ONIONS
- 30 g 1oz unsalted butter, slightly softened
- 450 g 1lb onions, finely chopped
FOR THE SAUCE
- 300 ml ½ pint whole milk
- slice of onion
- a few parsley stalks
- 4 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 30 g 1oz unsalted butter
- 30 g 1oz plain flour
- a little grated nutmeg
- 3 tbsp crème fraîche
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp Calvados
Instructies
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Start with the chicken.
- Mash the butter with the thyme, salt and pepper.
- Carefully loosen the skin over the breast (see technique for Roast chicken with mushrooms and sage butter under the skin).
- Using your fingers, spread about half of the butter under the skin, without tearing it.
- Now spread the remainder on the outside of the bird, season and put into a roasting tin.
- Cook in the hot oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, basting every so often.
- Now prepare the onions (you can do these ahead of time).
- Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan and add the onions.
- Turn them over to coat in the butter, add 2 tbsp of water and cover.
- Cook over a very low heat until completely soft, being careful not to let them brown.
- Keep an eye on them, adding a spoonful of water every so often.
- They will sweat to a lovely sweet softness.
- When the chicken is cooked allow it to rest, covered in foil, for 15 minutes.
- To make the sauce put the milk, onion, parsley, peppercorns and bay leaf in a saucepan and slowly bring to just under the boil.
- Take off the heat and leave for 20 minutes to infuse.
- Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add the flour and stir over a medium-low heat for a minute.
- Take off the heat.
- Strain in the milk, a little at a time, stirring until smooth.
- Season and add the nutmeg.
- Return to the heat and stir until boiling.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for three minutes.
- Add the onions with their juices, the crème fraîche, mustard and Calvados and taste for seasoning.
- Pour into a warm jug.
- Serve the chicken, its juices and the sauce.
- Simple accompaniments – French beans or Savoy cabbage, waxy potatoes – are best.
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