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
$21 At Amazon
Medium Saucepan
$50 $39 At Amazon
Rubber Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
Ingredients
4 servings
Chicken
1
1
1
1
Sauce and assembly
½
1
⅓
1
1
1
½
2
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.
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Reviews (1)
Back to TopI love the idea of turning the chicken and that was a huge plus. The Cognac sauce was a disappointment. Maybe it's me, but chewing on the chopped onions in a sauce distracted very much from the beautiful, rich taste. Also, again, maybe it's the oven I used at the beach rental, (old), but the chicken was not done and had to be baked another 30 minutes. Still it was moist and delicious. If I make this again, I'm cook the onions first and then drain them before I add the butter/flour mixture.
Stacy
Montecito, CA
3/8/2024
This sauce is absolutely delicious! And we didn’t have cognac so we improvised with 1tbsp brandy 1 tbsp whisky and it was divine. Chicken was perfectly cooked and skin was crispy. Definitely saving this recipe for the future.
Alana
Philadelphia, Pa
9/24/2023
This was the BEST roast chicken I’ve ever made. Turning the chicken doesn’t just help it brown evenly, it helps it cook evenly. Before, my roast chicken would come out with a soggy back, bloody tendons, and dry breast meat. This technique will be my go-to from now on. The wings and drumsticks were done before the rest of the chicken so I had a little snack lol. The creamy cognac sauce turned out perfectly! I felt like a fancy chef!
Carrie
Tacoma, WA
1/13/2023
Absolutely loved this recipe and have made it twice already! It is an elegant dish to serve at a dinner party and easy enough for a during the week meal. Made exactly to recipe and felt it needed no additions. 3.5 pound was good for 4 people and made a 4.5 pound for 5 people. Cooking times were accurate. Served with roasted potatoes and hericot verts. Everyone loved it.
Cheryl
New Haven CT
12/28/2022