Poulet rôti aux anchois et au romarin (roast chicken with anchovies and rosemary)Print Recipe

I arrived in New York with a suitcase full of cook books, Rotis by Stephane Reynaud was one of them.  This book is as charming as it is mouthwatering and will have you whipping up some sort of roast before you know it. Mr Reynaud has a roast for every night of the week with chicken being Wednesday’s roast of choice. And I made this yesterday so all is good.

I have a thing for anchovies which is probably what attracted me in the first place. But this recipe is slightly different to other anchovy dishes I have made, in that the anchovies are not melted down for their unique salty flavour . They are in fact, big and bold and coming right at you – together with a clove of garlic and a sprig of rosemary (how very lamb!). So I might start by recommending you cook this dish for those that are pro-anchovy rather than those that are no-anchovy (like my Mr Man) because that distinct flavour is there – make no mistake!

Aside from the anchovies, garlic and rosemary studded through the chicken, the stuffing is also sensational, a mixture of crème fraiche, shallots and tarragon.  This is outstanding on its own but paired with the already full flavoured and meltingly tender chicken meat, can really send you into a spin.

As the French would say oo la la. All I can say is that I am going to have a hard time going back to my standard roast chicken.

*You will need to start this recipe the day before*

1 large fee range chicken
12 small anchovies in oil, drained
12 garlic cloves, halved
2 rosemary branches, broken into small sprigs
1 small bunch of tarragon, leaves only
3 golden shallots, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of crème fraiche
2 tablespoons olive oil

Pierce the chicken with a knife in 12 places, ensuring that the incisions are evenly placed. Insert the anchovy, garlic clove and rosemary sprig in each opening. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat your oven to 180c/360f. Combine the tarragon leaves, shallots and crème fraiche in a bowl and mix well. Remove the chicken from the fridge and stuff with the tarragon mixture.

Tie the chicken at the legs and place in a roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 1 ½ hours or until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with a skewer.

Carve the chicken into portions and serve with the stuffing on the side.

Notes: Hold off on seasoning the chicken – anchovies are loaded with salt.

Source: “>Rotis by Stephane Reynaud

© 2010, Michelle. All rights reserved.