Chicken

Roast chicken with stuffing, pommes boulangère and salsa verde

Name: Guillaume Brahimi's roast chicken with potatoes recipe
Ingredients: 1.8kg whole chicken, cavity cleaned; 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature, to rub; 500ml chicken stock; 100g salted butter, chopped; 80.00 ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 fresh bay leaves; 5 (275g each) all-rounder potatoes (such as desiree), peeled, thinly sliced; 2 small onions, thinly sliced; 40.00 ml roughly chopped thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs, to serve; 600g stale sourdough bread (see notes), crust removed, torn into small pieces; 250ml milk; 200g speck, rind removed, cut into 5mm pieces (substitute streaky bacon or pancetta); 1 small leek, trimmed, halved lengthways, thinly sliced; 1 small carrot, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 30.00 ml finely chopped thyme; 30.00 ml finely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 200g pork sausage, removed from casing; 1 egg, lightly beaten; 40.00 ml brandy (optional); 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked; 100g large pitted green olives; 40g baby capers in brine, drained; 70g anchovy; 150ml extra virgin olive oil; Juice of 1 lemon

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Roast chicken with stuffing, pommes boulangère and salsa verde

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by Guillaume Brahimi

Nov 28, 2024

"I just love the smell of roast chicken. It reminds me of Christmas at home in Paris. Normally in France, I would use truffle in the stuffing because it’s winter. For the Australian summer, I use salsa verde as a fresh but delicious sauce." - Guillaume Brahimi

What you need to know before you start

You’ll need to reserve at least 1 hour and 30 minutes of oven time to cook both the roast chicken and the potatoes. As this recipe features four different components, some cooking equipment is required, including a 1.5L-capacity overproof dish, a large roasting pan, a food processor, a large saucepan, a large frypan, a mandoline to make quick work of thinly slicing the potatoes and other basic tools like spoons, mixing bowls and kitchen string.

If you can, choose a responsibly sourced chicken available from your local area. This will mean more flavour for you and a better relationship with your farmers and local butcher. The chicken can be prepared up to one day in advance of when you intend to roast. The boulangère can be made and cooked ahead of time and simply reheated in the oven, and the salsa verde can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Why is this the best roast chicken with stuffing, pommes boulangère and salsa verde recipe?

This recipe is a true labour of love, with each component made from scratch, including the roast chicken, the sausage stuffing, the pommes boulangère and the salsa verde. However, it’s well worth the effort.

Created by chef Guillaume Brahimi and inspired by his French heritage, this impressive main course is best served at Sunday dinner, Christmas lunch or whenever you want to impress. A whole chicken is beautifully roasted with a homemade sausage and speck stuffing and served alongside tender, buttery potatoes and a vibrant salsa verde to cut through the richness. Any leftover stuffing is added to the chicken roasting pan to impart flavour and retain moisture while also stopping the chicken from sticking to the base.

What does boulangère mean in cooking?

Pommes boulangère is a dish where thinly sliced potatoes and onions are cooked in chicken stock. The results are tender, moist and flavour-packed potatoes that pair beautifully with a roast chook. The name comes from the French term for ‘baker’s potatoes’. In the olden days, only the village baker had an oven, and he would let others use his oven to bake food with the residual heat after he had finished baking bread. This potato dish would cook slowly as the oven died down.

What ingredients you’ll need

Whole chicken: The star of the show. A 1.8kg whole chicken will feed 6 along with the sides and stuffing.

Unsalted butter: The chicken is simply rubbed with butter before it roasts, to keep it moist and create a crispy layer.

Chicken stock: The chicken stock enriches the potatoes with savoury depth, infusing them with flavour as they cook and ensuring a moist, flavourful dish.

Salted butter: Butter adds a rich, creamy texture to the pommes boulangère, helping to enhance the potatoes' natural flavour while creating a golden, crisp finish.

Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil contributes a fruity, slightly peppery note to the baked potatoes.

Fresh bay leaves: Bay leaves infuse the potatoes with a subtle, earthy fragrance.

All-rounder potatoes: Waxy and starchy potatoes like desiree hold their shape while absorbing the rich stock and flavours of the pommes boulangère.

Onions: Onions offer a natural sweetness and savoury depth while adding dimension to the potatoes.

Thyme leaves: Thyme infuses the potatoes with earthy, fragrant herbal notes. It’s also used in the stuffing.

Stale sourdough bread: Bread provides texture and structure to the stuffing. Stale bread is used over fresh as it absorbs meat juices and flavours better.

Milk: Milk helps to moisten the stuffing mixture that binds the ingredients together while softening the bread.

Speck: Our secret ingredient. This cured meat imparts a savoury smoky flavour to the stuffing. It can be substituted with streaky bacon or pancetta.

Leek: Leek offers a mild onion-like flavour that adds complexity and a delicate earthiness to the stuffing.

Carrot: Carrot adds a touch of sweetness and texture to the stuffing mixture.

Garlic cloves: Garlic enhances the overall dish with its subtle, sweet and savoury aromas.

Flat leaf parsley: Parsley provides a burst of freshness that lifts the stuffing’s flavour and adds a pop of colour for visual interest. It is also a key ingredient in the salsa verde.

Pork sausage: Removed from its casings, sausage adds savoury depth and juicy richness to the stuffing.

Egg: Egg is used to help bind all the stuffing ingredients together.

Brandy (optional): Brandy adds a subtle warmth and depth. Omit this if you’re sharing the dish with children.

Green olives: Olives add a briny saltiness to brighten the salsa verde.

Baby capers in brine: Similarly, capers add a tangy punch to the salsa verde to balance the freshness of the herbs.

Anchovies: Anchovies contribute a deep, umami richness to the dish with subtle notes of savouriness and saltiness. Don’t worry if people say they don’t like anchovies – in this dish, they break down and add rich flavour without any fishy taste.

Lemon: The juice of a lemon adds a bright acidity, cutting through the anchovies and capers of the salsa verde.

How long and what temperature do you roast chicken for?

For this recipe, a 1.8kg whole chicken is roasted in a 200°C or 180°C fan-forced oven for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. You can check the doneness of the chicken by piercing the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer and checking if the juices run clear.

How to store leftover roast chicken with stuffing, pommes boulangère and salsa verde

Leftover roast chicken can be stored with the stuffing in an airtight container. Similarly, the pommes boulangère and salsa verde can be stored in the fridge. Consume within 2-3 days.

Use up odd ends with these recipes using leftover roast chicken, including a homemade banh mi, chilled chicken and sesame noodles or an easy creamy chicken pesto pasta.

How to serve your roast chicken with stuffing, pommes boulangère and salsa verde

Serve your roast chicken with stuffing on a platter, or keep it rustic and leave it in the roasting pan it was cooked in. Pair it with a side of the potatoes and spoon a generous helping of the salsa verde over everything. When your guests are seated, carve the chicken before serving up a little bit of everything onto each plate.

Pair with fresh salads to cut through the richness like coleslaw with pickled pepperberry cherries, radicchio and pear salad with blue cheese and walnuts or our tomato and peach salad with nahm jim.

Drink pairings with our roast chicken with stuffing, pommes boulangère and salsa verde

For a hearty dish like roast chicken and potatoes, choose a drink that balances the richness of the roast. Our favourites include a well-balanced chardonnay, a medium-bodied pinot noir or a citrussy sauvignon blanc.

If you love our roast chicken with stuffing, pommes boulangère and salsa verde recipe, try this

For more Christmas mains, explore our selection of show-stopping hero dishes:

1.8kg whole chicken, cavity cleaned
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature, to rub

Pommes boulangere

2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
100g salted butter, chopped
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 fresh bay leaves
5 (275g each) all-rounder potatoes (such as desiree), peeled, thinly sliced
2 small onions, thinly sliced
2 tbs roughly chopped thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs, to serve

Stuffing

600g stale sourdough bread (see notes), crust removed, torn into small pieces
1 cup (250ml) milk
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
200g speck, rind removed, cut into 5mm pieces (substitute streaky bacon or pancetta)
1 small leek, trimmed, halved lengthways, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 tbs finely chopped thyme
1 1/2 tbs finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
200g pork sausage, removed from casing
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbs brandy (optional)

Salsa verde

1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
100g large pitted green olives
40g baby capers in brine, drained
1 (70g) small tin anchovies (we used Ortiz)
150ml extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan-forced.
2.

To make pommes boulangère, place the stock, butter, oil and bay leaves in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. In a 1.5L-capacity round ovenproof dish, place a layer of sliced potatoes, overlapping to evenly cover base. Scatter with a little onion and thyme, and season. Repeat layering until potatoes, onion and thyme are all used up. Pour over hot stock just to cover potatoes and place bay leaves over the top.
3.

Cover with foil and bake for 55 minutes- 1 hour, until potatoes are soft when pierced with a knife. Remove foil and cook for a further 25-30 minutes, until top is golden.
4.

Meanwhile, to make the stuffing, place the bread and milk in a medium bowl to soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Heat the oil and speck in a large frypan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until fat has melted and speck is light golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer speck to a large bowl. In same pan, add leek, carrot and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften. Add herbs, crumble in sausage meat, increase heat to high and cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, for 5-6 minutes, until sausage is lightly browned. Transfer mixture to bowl with speck and cool to room temperature. Add soaked bread, egg and brandy, if using. Season and mix to combine.
5.

To make salsa verde, place ingredients in a food processor and whiz until combined. Season to taste. Chill until ready to serve.
6.

Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. To prepare chicken, fill cavity with most of the stuffing and tie legs with kitchen string. Spoon remaining stuffing into the base of a large roasting pan and spread to a rectangle about the same size as chicken. Rub chicken all over with butter and season skin, then place on top of stuffing. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes-1 hour 30 minutes, until golden and juices of chicken run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with a skewer. Remove from oven and rest in a warm place for 15 minutes before carving.
7.

Serve chicken with pommes boulangère and salsa verde on the side.

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Recipe Notes

Using stale bread in stuffing absorbs meat juices and flavours better than fresh. Salsa verde can be made up to 3-4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.