Friday, January 13, 2012

FFwD - M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken


This week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe is for M. Jacques Armagnac Chicken.   This is basically a chicken roasted with brandy (or Armagnac, if you have some) with vegetables and seasoning.

I am never sure which way up to roast my chicken, and mine looks rather immodest - I assume that I got it wrong again.  Oh well, it tasted good (I adore roasted chicken), but it didn't knock my socks off.

I did like the flavour of the vegetables, which were seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary and bay, and after roasting, are left to bubble away in the thickening sauce on the stovetop:


This was my dinner on night 1 of this chicken dish:


I was too lazy and it was too late at night (this dish takes around an hour and a half to make) to add some greens to the mix - perhaps tomorrow night.

To see what the other FFwD members thought of this dish, visit the LYL section of the website.

26 comments:

Finla said...

I can imagine how moist that chicken meat will be tasting.

Cher Rockwell said...

Secret - I always have to go online and look at pictures to figure which side up to cook the bird. Seriously :-)
This was a moist tender chicken, wasn't it.
Have a great weekend

Unknown said...

Your plate, last photo, looks exactly like mine! We liked this recipe, I just have to finish posting it, soon, it's resting just like the chicken;-)

Cakelaw said...

You too Cher

Cindy said...

I think it looks like pure comfort food. I bet the veggies were delicious.

Kayte said...

That all looks wonderful. It seems to me, on the up or down chicken roasting question, that different chefs have different techniques for different occasions. I'm clueless without a direction telling me what to do. I'm trying to catch up on posting so maybe I will jump back in on FFwD one of these days. This would have been a good week to do it with the chicken!

Anonymous said...

I feel like every recipe has a different view of which is the ''right'' side to roast a chicken and so I'm never really sure either. I can say that while my chicken didn't look great, it did taste great, way juicier than anything I've ever managed before. So I will definitely be making this one again.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Hehe at the immodest chicken! It looks delicious though! And from what I hear just the ticket for the cold spell you guys are having!

Anonymous said...

As long as the chicken was cooked thoroughly, who cares which side was up! Great post!

Anonymous said...

The veggies look especially delicious. I'm not sure which way the chicken goes either, but I doubt it makes much difference.

Christy said...

Good point - other than the Joel Robuchon method I think I'm always guessing or just throwing it in whichever way it lands in the pot. Great dish - hope you are enjoying your summeR!

Dessert By Candy said...

"Immodest"! Haaahhahahhaha you have no idea how amused I am. I'll have to borrow that description for my chicken dishes some time!

Nana said...

It has been a long to since I heard that expression
"Pepe Le Peu", I used to watch that cartoon when my kids were young. Many years ago.....
Your chicken looks good, and I agree the veggies were good even leftover. Tricia and I had different
takes on this, but Hubby and I loved it.

Frankly Entertaining said...

I loved this meal. Not the best looking dish I've ever made, but it was a crowd pleaser. It can't all be about the looks ... right?!

Elaine said...

Too cute! I always pause with a whole chicken or turkey because I have to think which way should it face?! :) Your chicken browned so nicely. I think you would like this more with the addition of prunes because they give the sauce so much flavor. I hope you have a great weekend!

Unknown said...

I always put my chicken in breast side up...now I wonder if that's right. Guess I do it because that's how my mom did it:)

Adriana said...

I'm sure that this warm meal hit the spot, especially if it was so cold. I hope you enjoyed the leftovers!

tricia s. said...

Ha ha - I totally remember that cartoon - grew up on it "back in the day" :) We have a black pug (Phoebe) who has these uber expressive eyes and reminds me of that little skunk Pepe is always going after. Great job on the chicken- I think I was holding a grudge after the $13 spent on that little bird and lack of color. Not to mention my not adding the extra potatoes and carrots to the pot, in order to do it correctly, when they would have been fabulous. Live and learn :)

Anonymous said...

I think your chicken looks delicious, even if modesty was not her strong point! Glad you enjoyed it!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

LOL...I always have to poke around to make sure I have the meaty breast side up. Here's to Dorie's yummy, albeit pale roast chicken...quite good!!!

tricia s. said...

Yours looked just like mine and we had the same reaction - good but did not knock the old socks off. Our family definitely likes "crispy" when it comes to chicken so while this was moist, I don't know that I will revisit is exactly as it was. Although I liked reading how some folks used Calvados and added apples. As usually, Dorie finds ways to inspire us. Thx for keeping it real with your opinion :)

Kathy said...

You had me laughing with your immodest comment! I agree with YC...who cares which side is right as long as it tastes good. And in your last picture it looks perfect!

TeaLady said...

Didn't knock my socks off either, but the veggies were GREAT!!

Immodest chicken! LOL LOL

Betsy said...

LOL! Your immodest chicken needs to cross her legs! I usually cook my birds with the breasts side down so the juices run into it. I really enjoyed this version of roasted chicken.

Dressed and Eaten said...

It looks lovely and succulent. I'm sure the Armagnac would have helped with that. I love the way she is sitting! haha.

Daisy@Nevertoosweet said...

Yum I've never roasted a chicken but it seems like a great hearty meal :) Hahaha i'm outta alcohol prob a good excuse to go get some more ~