flipSpit-roasted chicken with herb sauce
Spit-roasted chicken with herb sauce
Why this dish? Diderot loved suppers with friends and good food washed down with Burgundy wine. The roast turning on the spit was the highlight of a festive meal in the 18th century, the moment when the shared table nourished conversation as much as the stomach.
A beautiful golden poultry roasted on the spit, basted with its own juices, served with a lively herb sauce. It is the centerpiece of the supper, proudly brought to the center of the table for the roast service.
Ah, here is the crowning glory of my supper! Nothing beats a fat chicken turned on the spit before a bright fire, basted with its own juices until the skin crackles under the tooth. I loved to gather my friends, uncork a bottle of Burgundy, and argue about everything between bites — for philosophy tastes better with a contented stomach. Carve it hot, coat it with an herb sauce spiked with a few capers, and let the table speak!
- •Chicken (poularde) — a fine bird (main roast)
- •Larding bacon — a few strips (protects and moisturizes the flesh)
- •Butter, salt — to taste (seasoning)
- •Parsley, spring onion, shallot, capers — a handful (herb sauce)
- •Verjuice or vinegar — a dash (acidity)
Spit-roasted chicken with herb sauce
A beautiful golden poultry roasted on the spit, basted with its own juices, served with a lively herb sauce. It is the centerpiece of the supper, proudly brought to the center of the table for the roast service.
Why this dish? Diderot loved suppers with friends and good food washed down with Burgundy wine. The roast turning on the spit was the highlight of a festive meal in the 18th century, the moment when the shared table nourished conversation as much as the stomach.
Ah, here is the crowning glory of my supper! Nothing beats a fat chicken turned on the spit before a bright fire, basted with its own juices until the skin crackles under the tooth. I loved to gather my friends, uncork a bottle of Burgundy, and argue about everything between bites — for philosophy tastes better with a contented stomach. Carve it hot, coat it with an herb sauce spiked with a few capers, and let the table speak!
Ingredients (period version)
- Chicken (poularde) — a fine bird (main roast)
- Larding bacon — a few strips (protects and moisturizes the flesh)
- Butter, salt — to taste (seasoning)
- Parsley, spring onion, shallot, capers — a handful (herb sauce)
- Verjuice or vinegar — a dash (acidity)
Ingredients
- Free-range chicken or poularde — 1 (approx. 1.8 kg) (main roast)
- Butter — 60 g (basting and browning)
- Thin bacon strips (optional) — 2 (keeps the flesh moist)
- Flat-leaf parsley + chives — 1 bunch (green sauce)
- Shallot — 1 (aromatic)
- Capers — 1 tbsp (salty tang)
- Wine vinegar or verjuice — 1 tbsp (acidity)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Salt the bird inside and out, brush with melted butter.
- Roast in the oven at 200°C (or on a spit) for about 1 hour 15 minutes, basting regularly with its own juices.
- Finely chop parsley, chives, shallot and capers; mix with the vinegar and a little degreased cooking juice.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving.
- Serve the pieces coated with the herb sauce, accompanied by a salad.
How it was made : Spit-roasting in front of a fireplace required a spit-turner (sometimes powered by a weight mechanism or a dog in a wheel). Poultry was larded with bacon to prevent the flesh from drying out, and the fat dripping into the drip pan was carefully collected.
The contemporary twist : Serve the chicken on a wooden board, as one would present an engraved plate from the Encyclopédie — each guest 'edits' their portion with a Langres knife.
Sources : Menon, La Cuisinière bourgeoise (1746) · François Marin, Les Dons de Comus (1739)
Denis Diderot · Charactorium
