This week we turn our focus to the humble chicken. Poultry (which also covers turkey, duck, guinea fowl and pheasant) accounts for almost 50 per cent of meat consumption in this country and is a staple in most people’s weekly shop.
Where possible, I strongly suggest spending a bit extra on a higher-welfare bird. It’ll repay you in flavour, texture and peace of mind. While chicken is seen as a cheaper source of protein here, countries such as France have long celebrated this humble bird.
The crown jewel is the Poulet Bresse – a specific breed of white chicken reared in the Bresse region of mid France. It is protected by the Appellation d’Origin Controllée or AOC. A rare and important French quality mark that ensures a certain product, usually of high quality and long tradition, can only be produced in a specific area and certain way. Other products include Bordeaux wine and Roquefort blue cheese. Ireland has a similar label of protected status for food, run as part of an EU initiative. These include the Waterford blaa and Connemara Hill Lamb. It’s an important programme that we should continue marketing and expanding.
Poulet Bresse live an idyllic, pampered life in the foothills of the Rhône valley and Burgundy wine region. Notable towns in the area include Dijon, famed for its balanced and widely used mustard (a regular in this column). A single bird can cost as much as €60. While spending time in a now three Michelin-starred London restaurant many years ago, I asked the chef how they made money on such an expensive product? “We don’t,” he said. “But I’ll adjust costings on other dishes to accommodate this chicken, because it’s important that we showcase the tradition and care that goes into rearing it.” Noted.
Hera restaurant review: A new gastropub on Dublin’s north side, without the usual cliches
Pat Kenny’s outrage at imaginary injustices raises his show to jaw-dropping heights
Róisín Ingle: After a serious medical diagnosis, I made a small but profound lifestyle change
‘I think my cousin may be manipulating my grandmother into putting her into her will’
So a few years later we put it on the menu in a Dublin restaurant, and while the flavour was at a different level, customers commented that the texture was odd. In fact, this is what chicken should be like, we’ve just become used to the mass-produced quality. Obviously few of us are in a position to splash out on the French exemplar for home-cooked meals; instead try to source the best-quality chicken possible.
The first recipe is a nod to the Bresse region, cooking the bird on the bone and using the juices from the pan to create a really simple and delicious glaze or sauce. Chicken and mushroom is a pairing as old as time, so we’ve cooked them out in some white burgundy wine and a splash of cream, seasoning with lots of pepper and our fiery Dijon mustard. The key is to get lots of colour on the chicken skin, while cooking on the bone will stop the meat drying out. Close your eyes and you could almost be sitting in the Gallic sun, sipping on white wine and mopping up the juices with some crusty boulangerie baguette.
The second recipe is a staple in our house. A one-pot-wonder, it is a great midweek filler using chicken breast and a thick sauce packed with flavour. The texture is managed by adding flour to the base. Once the sauce and filling is sorted, I throw a sheet of puff pastry on top of the pan. A quick glaze and some added sesame seeds and it’s into the oven to crisp up. Once the kitchen is cleaned down, you’re rewarded with a delicious dinner and only one pan to wash up.
Now, back to dreaming about that French sun.
