At heart this is a back-pocket recipe for foolproof roast chicken, seasoned simply and baked to a golden idyll. It’s the details that matter, like turning the chicken as it roasts for more evenly golden skin. The cognac sauce owes its luxurious texture to beurre manié—a mixture of flour and butter—that thickens like roux but doesn’t need to be cooked before using. At home, Jaques Pépin gilds the lily with an additional sauce made by deglazing the browned bits left in the chicken pan with a healthy splash of homemade or store-bought chicken stock, reducing until syrupy, and pouring it over the finished dish.
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What you’ll need
Wire Rack
$23 At BA Market
Instant-Read Thermometer
$35 At Thermoworks
Tongs
$19 At Amazon
Medium Saucepan
$50 $37 At Amazon
Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Whisk
$12 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$16 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Sauce and assembly
Preparation
Chicken
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425°. Pat one 3–3½-lb. whole chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle inside and out with 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt and 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper. Smear 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, all over outside of chicken.
Step 2
Place chicken on its side on a wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet. Roast until pale golden on top, 18–20 minutes. Turn chicken over with tongs and roast until golden on other side, 18–20 minutes. Turn chicken breast side up and continue to roast until golden brown all over, leg joints wiggle easily, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 155° and the thickest part of legs registers at least 160°, 25–30 minutes longer. Let chicken rest at least 20 minutes.
Sauce and assembly
Step 3
Bring ½ small onion, coarsely chopped, 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, ⅓ cup dry white wine, and 1 tsp. black peppercorns to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, 8–10 minutes.
Step 4
Vigorously stir together 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour and 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, in a small bowl with a rubber spatula to make a smooth paste. Add to broth and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour in ½ cup heavy cream and return sauce to a simmer. Cook, whisking occasionally, until sauce is thick enough to lightly coat a spoon, 5–8 minutes.
Step 5
Remove pan from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. cognac. Taste sauce and season with kosher salt if needed. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring glass.
Step 6
Transfer chicken to a cutting board and carve as desired. Arrange on a platter. Pour sauce around chicken generously, allowing it to pool into nooks and crannies. Season with freshly ground pepper and top with coarsely chopped parsley (if using). Serve any remaining sauce alongside.
Recipe notes
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