Your channel should come with a warning label. DO NOT WATCH ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! That last bite of the sourdough bread, roasted garlic, juicy chicken strips, crispy chicken skin and gravy looked heavenly! 🤤 I truly believe that the very first bite and the very last bite of a delicious meal is the best, best part! Nothing is more satisfying! 😍
In Portugal rotisserie chicken is also a big part of our culture, made a bit differently from the French way though. The bird is butterflied, roasted, covered in piri-piri sauce and served with fries and tomato salad. I would love for Alex to try it from the source where it is most popular in a city called Guia in the south of Portugal.
Alex, I am a Greek living alone in Finland, and I want to thank you so much for this video. You inspired me to try it out, and it really brought back so many joyful, cosy memories from Sunday meals with my parents. I appreciate the effort you put in your channel very much, please never stop doing what you love!
When I was a kid back in Brazil, roasted chicken was a tradicional Sunday lunch option too. We also had rotisserie chicken, but it was usually sold at bakeries, only on Sunday mornings. We called it "bakery chicken". The most curious details is that they would usually have a steel rotisserie oven for that, and since they only fired it on Sundays, it didn't have a specific place for it, so they would put them on the sidewalk, which would attract clients. Since it would also attract street dogs, we called those rotisserie ovens "dog's television". This is so permeated in Brazilian culture that a music band called Pato Fu even launched an album called "Televisão de Cachorro" (dog's television in Portuguese), with a song with the same name.
But the probable secret is the stock that the chicken is poached in, it probably has all the salt and possible flavorings (spices and butter) which permeates the chicken inside and out because it is submerged in the stock to poach.
I did wonder about the poaching liquid myself. This could possibly function both as a flavoured brine and gentle initial poaching which assists to lock in moisture. The description of the rotisserie cooking process was interesting also. The repetitive cycle of reasonably aggressive heat and allowing to cool. This opposed to constant heat which can tend drive moisture from the meat.
There are no spices in the stock. It’s pure bone stock with a few basic aromatics. The chef does this to preserve the integrity of the natural flavour of the chickens they so carefully grow.
Alex! OMG! Yessss! My children and I visited Paris last summer and ate here. You actually just sat in the seat where my daughter was seated! I’m from New York, we have outstanding food here! But, this chicken, the entire meal actually, was the best meal of our lives! I cried because I’d never had anything that delicious before the heritage chicken. This was a beautiful episode! Thank you! Also, I’m going to try the poaching method before I rotisserie next time!
Omg. I love when people put so much effort to master a deceivingly simple task like cooking rottisserie chicken, cooking pasta, preparing a Crème Brûlée, making artisan shoes or gloves, etc and take it to the absolute best. Achieving that kind of mastery and craftsmanship in anything is the apex of professional achievement any human could expect to acquire. This channel gave us examples of this many times. Thank you Alex.
1) simple stock, made of chicken bones and fat coming from the rôtissoire. You can add veggies at your convenience (leaks, carrots, onions, whatever). 2) the gravy is simply the juices from the chicken sometimes mixed with some water
One thing to add, from being passionate about the chicken I eat, I determined that the diet of the chicken when they were in the farm also contributes to the 'flavourness' of the chicken.
Alex, you are surprised there is no seasoning, but I'm surprised it was poached! Poaching in stock - secret ingredient - as Chef didn't mention a single outstanding flavour or herb & spice in the stock. Id be surprised if the stock wasn't well salted and full of flavours!
Ive already eaten there and its not. The stock is "just" chicken stock. But its not random chicken. Like explained, its a top notch chicken race and matured as well. The flavor is just chicken but intense. Its a little bit the same comparison beetween a random burger and a plain one, but made with A5 wagyu dryed aged beef. Not even saying that the broth is obviously done with the carcasse of the others roasted chicken. And its used, again and again, becoming stronger in flavor each time you top it up with new carcasse juice.
Cher Alex, vous ne pouvez pas me faire autant plaisir que de parler de cet endroit magique pour ceux qui aiment la volaille et surtout la belle volaille. Je fréquente cet endroit depuis son ouverture en 2012 et j'ai une petite pensée pour Thierry Lébé qui a longtemps oeuvré dans cette institution. L'accueil y a été toujours remarquable autant que les plats. Un convive végétarien il y a quelques années, ils se mirent en quatre pour faire une magnifique et succulente poêlé de légumes. Toutes les personnes que j'ai convié ou à qui j'ai recommandé cet endroit ont été unanimes - et ce n'est pas fréquent à Paris. Je comprends que vous soyez tombé sous le charme de cette excellence à la française, discrète mais redoutablement délicieuse dans une simplicité déconcertante. Moi aussi je suis dans la quête du poulet parfait (à mon goût). J'apprécie votre nouvelle quête. Bon courage et au plaisir de regarder vos prochaines vidéos. Bonne dégustation,
It's always interesting to see how speaking different languages effects people's mannerisms and to an extend their personality. I only really speak English but my partner speaks French, English and Polish and it is so strange and amazing to see how differently she seems based on the language!
I love how French cuisine works to draw out the true essence of the ingredient. Nothing is over seasoned or spiced, just very high quality food cooked perfectly.
The age of the bird is a huge factor. An older bird has so much more flavor, and instead of mushy over-tenderness, the muscles have actual definition and some "chew". The tougher skin will also hold up better through the poach + roast. I love making red braised chicken with stewing hens and lament that chicken a little older than broilers are not readily available on the market.
There's a place nearby that's been doing organic-fed rotisserie chicken and they are SO GOOD. I'm sure it's not a patch on that crazy French heirloom, but otherwise it's just like you describe... crunchy and juicy and a little bit sticky. After I gnaw everything obvious off the carcass, it still makes a really nice broth.
What sets you and your channel apart from other is the full on joy and enthusiasm you bring to learning from the pros and then sharing that with your viewers!
I cannot believe I actually forgot about you, my dear Alex!! It's been 2 years since I've seen your beautiful expressions over delectable offerings!! In Australia we have charcoal chicken places everywhere and when you find a good one, it's pretty good, although too much seasoning and salt is used. But like you I pull every scrap of chicken off the carcass, as thats the tastiest!! People think I'm weird for doing it...they just don't understand chickenomics!! It's absolutely abhorrent how most chickens are kept to live their short lives, yet the ones who are allowed to live free and roam and grow, you taste the happiness they've experienced and you in turn partake of that happiness!! The funny thing is I can pick up an old bird (or boiler chicken) for a couple of dollars compared to a "roasting" bird, yet the flavour from the older one far outways the younger, pumped full of water birds! I am so happy to have rekindled my passion for food through you. Take care and stay well. Peace and Love from Australia
Growing up in the 60's my mom made a simple oven roasted chicken, butter and salt in a cast iron pan. She could get the skin so crisp. But for a treat, Dad would go to Zorn's in Bethpage NY for their Rotisserie Poultry. The best. I would swear that back then they were using the same ovens as LE COQ ET FILS. Looking forward to a continuation of this series.
Haven't made it to the end of the comments looking for someone saying this, but you should try peruvian rotisserie chicken "Pollo a la Brasa", in Peru. It does use seasonings, but it is THAT good.
Je suis dans une grande école de gastronomie française (FERRANDI) et sur le sujet des poulet rôtis une grande parti concerne l'évissération et le bridage de la volaille et surtout la sauce qui accompagne ce met délicat, je pense que ça serait intéressant d'aborder aussi cette parti là du poulet rôti pour compléter la série une fois que tu auras bien entendu perfectionner la cuisson ❤🍗
Rotisserie chicken being something super French actually really surprised me! My mom grew up in the GDR and rotisserie chicken (they called it Broiler) was a staple there, as well. So I always assumed this was something Eastern German, because in Western Germany, this wasn't really a thing, at least not as much as in the GDR by far. =D It's so fun to discover cultural similarities - we didn't have it as a Sunday meal, but we had it at least every other week.
I grew up in west Germany, pork or beef was a more common Sunday dinner. We were no strangers to rotisserie chicken though, I have many fond memories of eating at a chain restaurant called Weinerwald where the rotisserie chicken was a staple of the menu. I had relatives living in the DDR as we called it, or GDR. It amazed me how different the foods were. It was like a completely different culture.
The poaching is a new idea that i will have to try, this maybe out of the blue but i wonder how it would be if poached in a master stock and the cooked. You are right about the memories, watching the video brought back memories from 25 years ago of my grandmother making rotisserie chicken, the time effort and yes love she put into it. Thank you for the memories and ideas, take care. God bless one and all.
Hi, the metal piece you see on the wing is not from the machine, it's called une bague, it's a piece of metal place on a chicken for tracability. It contains info like date of birth, place of raise, lineage, etc... Just like the metal plates us soldiers have. That way each chicken can be track down.
Belgian here. We had rotisserie chicken every Wednesday growing up. Since school only goes till noon here on Wednesday. So we'd pick up a chicken on the way home and toss some fries in the fryer and that was weekly lunch.
This is the first time I've heard of poaching the whole chicken first in chicken stock, then roasting it. This is a different take on the reverse-sear for chicken! You have created a monster! I know it won't be like this, but now I want to try this. I'll poach a whole grocery store chicken in stock for 20 minutes, then roast it in a hot oven. I can't wait!
Some people will never understand that if you have a high-quality ingredient (which does not mean expensive, it could simply be a tomato from the garden instead of the supermarket) there is no need for spices or flavorings. Facts.
Alors, Alex!! It’s Sunday, I just wrapped up my best roast chicken. It was delicious, but I can’t help thinking about these videos. When are you going to show us how it’s really done? Ci-mer! -A fellow home cook!
Please never stop Alex, the joy and entusiasm is so good! You can tell that you really really love food! This always inspire me every time I'm down or don't feel like cooking!👌
like i said on last video boiled chicken then finishing it off in the oven and after that at least 30 minutes of rest time at the right temperature is how you achieve the perfect chicken. i used stock before but i didn't notice any difference from regular water. maybe resting you chicken overnight in stock would make a huge difference i might try that.
I ate here today, and it was very, very good. Thank you Alex! But. I make a roast chicken with chickens from the farm nearby (in Massachusetts) cooked at very high heat in my wood oven, with maple and s oak wood. The high heat cooks it quickly so it is moist throughout, and the skin is shatteringly crisp. Sorry, I think the roasted one is better.
Salut Alex. Je pense que son bouillon est parfumé au thym et à l'estragon, à minima, en plus d'être hyper concentré. C'est au pochage que se joue toute sa recette, quelle merveille. Genève - Paris en TGV, nous ne sommes qu'à trois petites heures de ce bonheur éphémère. J'y fonce ! Merci pour cette madeleine et toutes les vidéos que tu nous offres depuis le début de ton aventure sur youtube. Ciao !
I love these fundamental (you could call it simple) deep dives. It really shows that cooking is both simple and really difficult. Getting 80% there is easy, but achieving the >99.5% is almost impossible. Keep it comming!!!
Amazing once again, Alex! I've been eating vegetarian for several years now, but a good, crispy, fatty, juicy roasted chicken is still something I miss every now and again...
Here in Canada, we have a Quebecois chain called St Hubert. When I was a kid I remember going with my parents to their iconic yellow-roofed building for rotisserie chicken. We moved away from that town and grew up without my chicken. I have such fond memories of coming down the hill we lived on and seeing that yellow roof in the distance. I went back now that I am older only to find the memory was fonder than reality. Ever since I have wanted to learn to roast a chicken and fill that memory. I hope I can do it justice one day. These videos might be the inspiration I need to just do it.
This also in the USA. CostCo has a 5.00 Rotisserie chicken that will feed you for a couple days with carved meat, picked meat, and then soup from the carcass. In my family it was the cuts standing at the counter with lettuce and vegtables from the garden, then mexican style chiken soup with the picked meat and the carcass.
Alex is making me want to go to France more and more... I used to eat rotisserie chicken every week too, but on a wednesday because it was on 50% sale, and it was definitely not as good since it was from a small supermarket in Italy where quality control is not their top priority, but I still loved it and that is where I learned the anatomy of the chicken lmao
Well @@HarrDarr somebody has to pay for the birds time in the stock-infused brine! It certainly looks delicious, simple ingredients done extremely well = delicious!
When I was growing up '50s into the '60s here in the US, we had a rotisserie. With the glass door in front, it was so much fun to just sit and watch that bird go round and round, seeing how the bird changed while it cooked. Thanks for the memory, Alex et Fils.
the best rotisserie chicken I have tasted was in Berlin Germany it actually put the rotisserie chicken to shame in France that's how good it was however you cannot find a place in Berlin Germany anymore that serves this dish as they used a different type of chicken as it was over 25 years ago that this place in Berlin shut its doors broiled chicken with the french fries cooked in its own chicken fat drippings the dish was amazing and I noticed on how they prepared it they used clarified butter dipped in spices and brushed it on the rotisserie chicken that made the chicken a touch crispy with a bit of flavoring
Alex, thank you or this series. I am really looking forward for you version of rotisserie chicken. I hope that I will be able to do it at home too one day. :)
When my parentes got engaged in 1966 my grandmother bought them a rotissery chicken. It was The most chic thing to eat back then. There was just 1 place to get it in Finland.
That is fascinating. In Sydney Australia what is popular is Lebanese charcoal chicken which is eaten with a garlic dip. Without the dip the meat would be dry. This poaching method really means the chicken is twice cooked. The stock soaks in to the meat and the. The heat from the rotisserie makes the skin crispy.
It is Thanksgiving here in the US, but this year it it just me and my father, so instead of a turkey we decided to do a chicken instead. Inspired by this series, I got a chicken, not old enough, but two weeks before a meal is too late to buy chicks and raise chickens, which is how you would get a suitable bird here in the States. I also got a pack of 4 thighs. The night before, I made chicken stock perhaps 1.5 or 2 liters. This morning, I grabbed a saw, found a tree (looked for Acer, Betula, Fraxinus, or Fagus, woods that would not negatively flavor the chicken, found a Fraxinus) that was straight and between 25 and 35 mm in diameter, cut out a section and peeled the bark, because I needed a spit to roast the chicken on. Drilled a few cross holes to put Populus pegs through to keep the bird from slipping when the spit was turned. Squared the ends to make it convenient to rotate 90 degrees and be stable resting on the handles/ends of our turkey roasting rack. The turkey rack on our roasting pan had just enough height so that putting the spit across the ends the chicken cleared the rack by about 5 mm. Top of spit was about 90 mm above center of the rack. Poached the chicken 20 minutes at 62 to 67 C, temperature got a bit higher than I wanted it to. This was 20 min. starting after the pot recovered to 60 C, it took a few minutes after the chicken went in the pot for the broth to come back up to temperature. Dropped from 65 C to about 48 C. Some care is required handling the chicken after poaching as the skin became a bit sticky and much more delicate than when raw or when fully cooked, not sure if that's a side effect of the temperature overshoot or normal for poaching. Checked oven manual for our electric convection oven, and discovered that there is an option for F or C. Roasted at 150 C, turning the spit every 20 min. I should have used my Red Dot thermometer to continuously monitor the temperature, as it would have allowed me to start the high temperature phase when at 71 C, instead of overshooting to 77. Using the (non-convection) bake setting in the oven the convection fan runs intermittently and the oven heats primarily by intermittent use of the broiler element about 50% duty cycle. Setting the oven to 275 C, I found that rotating the bird about every 2.5 minutes would produce modest browning. The rotation pattern was: breast, back, left, right. I did 3 cycles for the sides and 4 for the breast and back. It was a nuisance to be at the oven opening it to rotate the bird so frequently, but it did allow cool air into the oven and made it more similar to a rotisserie machine where the heat is directional. There is snow here, so the extra heat in the kitchen was not a problem. The result was without question, the most beautiful chicken that has ever been cooked in our house. I look forward to seeing your next steps. What you have covered so far already produces very promising results when applied. For seasoning I kept it very simple, a light sprinkle of salt, a modest grind of black pepper, and a light drizzle of olive oil on top of that. No basting of any sort. With the fairly short broiling cycles between rotation the subcutaneous fat melts enough to sort of self baste the skin, but by turning and letting it cool it seems to allow the skin to retain some fat rather than all of it being driven out, so there never appeared to be a need for supplemental basting. It was organic, but still US chickens may be fattier than French ones, so I'm not sure if this would hold true if using a poulet instead of a chicken. Wooden spits while very traditional, probably have a functional life of 2 to 6 uses at this size. The broiling is hard on them. Soak in water for at least an hour before use if it's not freshly cut, and coat liberally with a moderate to high smoke point vegetable oil if you wish to extend the service life of a wooden spit.
We love rotisserie chicken so much i bought use a counter top oven with built in rotisserie the HYSapientia 24L Air Fryer Oven With Rotisserie Large XXL . The great thing is you can rotisserie other joints of meat to, pork shoulder being a favorite. The poach is new, never even thought of it but it does make sense and we will try it out and see if it is practical. As home cooks i think we will freeze the stock between uses, bring it to a low boil for awhile before lowering the temp for poaching, the stock will be based on knorr stock powder the WaNaHong version not there professional product line version. We do bast the chicken with melted salted butter with paprika, and abit of the knorr chicken powder, sometimes use a brush made with fresh herbs if it is a special meal. I do remove the wish bone prior to cooking to make it easier to carve, as that is how my dad did it. Last year i invested in cypriot greek charcoal BBQ grill and it is even better than the oven rotisserie, alot more work but worth it for family BBQ get togethers. I does rotisserie kebabs as well. Expense bit of kit i bought off amazon uk, the specific model is "SunshineBBQs Stainless Steel Cypriot Greek Charcoal BBQ with 2 bottom trays & 2 Electric 220-240v Motors" make sure to use quality charcoal as well it does make a differance. Take care, God bless one and all.
Im in Australia and can say yes to the joy of a well cooked rotisserie chicken. Home cooked in the oven has always been a struggle to get it as good as or better than places offering cooked rotisserie magic 😍 And how you described this one ... I may not be able to get one as good but the emotion evoked by well cooked chicken will have to do (until i find better).
There's something beautiful about a Micheline star chef giving up his stars to make something so simple and humble like chicken; Chicken so good, it doesn't need even seasoning.
We have a Portuguese butcher shop that only makes 14 rotisserie chickens per day (only 1 machine). They open at 10am and the chicken is gone by noon. I would hang my hat that it's among the best in the world 🌎
The poaching method reminds me a lot of how chicken is prepared in a lot Chinese restaurants. But that chicken, bread, sauce reminds me also of a hot chicken sandwich. I’ll try the poach than roast as I just got a rotisserie
I've never heard of poaching before roasting ...but makes delicious sense. My local market does a steady business making rotisserie chicken next to Deli Dept.
When I watch a video like this, I'm expecting you do make the chicken in your own way. Is that a part two? Lately, feels like your videos never reach a climax.
Idk if its because I live in a more rural area of the US but I can still find larger older hens for sale consistently. I can say that they have much more flavor than the smaller hens. That being said, I will have to try this method in the future because I usually smoke them spatchcock and then finish them in the broiler.
Tried the method, that is poaching for 20-30mins in a stock and roasting the heritage bird whole.The juicyiness and tenderness of the chicken was all there along with the flavour. What was missing was that almost sticky exterior which I think is what happens when the chicken rotates and bastes itself in its own juices. Needless to say I've ordered a rotisserie kit for my outdoor grill / smoker to try the method again
I love the parts of you riding around Paris, especially the parts I recognize/have been to. Makes me want to go back...and eat some rotisserie chicken.
I never thought of France having pre-made rotisserie chicken. I thought I was just a thing at American markets for families who either didn’t have the time, or want o fuss with roasting a chicken at home.
Next up, Alex builds his own rotisserie oven...
Foreshadowing
And some prototypes before that😊
I hope it won't end like his pasta cutter.
Obviously
Part 3: Build the oven
Part 4: Improve all he messed up in part 3... ;-)
Your channel should come with a warning label. DO NOT WATCH ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!
That last bite of the sourdough bread, roasted garlic, juicy chicken strips, crispy chicken skin and gravy looked heavenly! 🤤 I truly believe that the very first bite and the very last bite of a delicious meal is the best, best part! Nothing is more satisfying! 😍
Between your comment and the video now I'm really hungry. I've got a chicken in the fridge too. BRB
It's useless, i Just had dinner and i am hungry again
can confirm this was devastating to watch after a light lunch lol
I actually only watch directly after eating or while eating 🤣
Does not apply to beans on toast, that shit gets worse with every bite
In Portugal rotisserie chicken is also a big part of our culture, made a bit differently from the French way though. The bird is butterflied, roasted, covered in piri-piri sauce and served with fries and tomato salad. I would love for Alex to try it from the source where it is most popular in a city called Guia in the south of Portugal.
In Montreal our Little Portugal has the best charcoal rotisserie, I can't imagine what it's like at the origin
facts facts. Greek chicken and Brazilian is also pretty good in MTL. Wish we had Mexican chicken tho.@@Drakonak
Cheeky Nandos
in france we have a large portugease community so i know what you are talking about. in paris there is a lot of portugese rotisserie
butterflied, roasted, chicken is one of my go tos. Seems its closer to yours than the French one xD
Alex, I am a Greek living alone in Finland, and I want to thank you so much for this video. You inspired me to try it out, and it really brought back so many joyful, cosy memories from Sunday meals with my parents.
I appreciate the effort you put in your channel very much, please never stop doing what you love!
When I was a kid back in Brazil, roasted chicken was a tradicional Sunday lunch option too. We also had rotisserie chicken, but it was usually sold at bakeries, only on Sunday mornings. We called it "bakery chicken". The most curious details is that they would usually have a steel rotisserie oven for that, and since they only fired it on Sundays, it didn't have a specific place for it, so they would put them on the sidewalk, which would attract clients. Since it would also attract street dogs, we called those rotisserie ovens "dog's television". This is so permeated in Brazilian culture that a music band called Pato Fu even launched an album called "Televisão de Cachorro" (dog's television in Portuguese), with a song with the same name.
hehe, i have a good laugh from this dog television thing, thanks you for sharing
In France too you can find the rotisserie ovens often put on the sidewalk for the same reason, make prospective clients salivate and buy them.
Cool !
Tv de cachorro sempre será o melhor nome kkk
Hehe, “dog’s television” 🤭 My family calls the window that our cat sits in front of to watch the birds “the cat’s TV.” Same idea!
But the probable secret is the stock that the chicken is poached in, it probably has all the salt and possible flavorings (spices and butter) which permeates the chicken inside and out because it is submerged in the stock to poach.
Only chicken stock and vegetables. Try it for Xmas. 30 minutes poached and reduces time in the oven.
I did wonder about the poaching liquid myself. This could possibly function both as a flavoured brine and gentle initial poaching which assists to lock in moisture.
The description of the rotisserie cooking process was interesting also. The repetitive cycle of reasonably aggressive heat and allowing to cool. This opposed to constant heat which can tend drive moisture from the meat.
There are no spices in the stock. It’s pure bone stock with a few basic aromatics. The chef does this to preserve the integrity of the natural flavour of the chickens they so carefully grow.
Maybe the stock is recycled over and over again and gets more and more chicken flavor, the longer it’s being used!
Didn’t look like it.
Alex! OMG! Yessss! My children and I visited Paris last summer and ate here. You actually just sat in the seat where my daughter was seated!
I’m from New York, we have outstanding food here! But, this chicken, the entire meal actually, was the best meal of our lives! I cried because I’d never had anything that delicious before the heritage chicken. This was a beautiful episode! Thank you!
Also, I’m going to try the poaching method before I rotisserie next time!
Omg. I love when people put so much effort to master a deceivingly simple task like cooking rottisserie chicken, cooking pasta, preparing a Crème Brûlée, making artisan shoes or gloves, etc and take it to the absolute best. Achieving that kind of mastery and craftsmanship in anything is the apex of professional achievement any human could expect to acquire.
This channel gave us examples of this many times. Thank you Alex.
Two things I would have liked to learn more about: The stock in which the bird is poached and gravy with which it is served.
1) simple stock, made of chicken bones and fat coming from the rôtissoire. You can add veggies at your convenience (leaks, carrots, onions, whatever).
2) the gravy is simply the juices from the chicken sometimes mixed with some water
how are the juices collected? @@lolilollolilol7773
One thing to add, from being passionate about the chicken I eat, I determined that the diet of the chicken when they were in the farm also contributes to the 'flavourness' of the chicken.
I wonder if the poaching would work for home oven roasted chicken, I've seen that done.
I want to know if Alex was allowed to taste the stock. It seems to me that the stock is where the "secret sauce" is.
You know a bite is good when Alex switches to French! I love watching while I eat lunch because it makes my food taste better
and he swear good!
Alex, you are surprised there is no seasoning, but I'm surprised it was poached!
Poaching in stock - secret ingredient - as Chef didn't mention a single outstanding flavour or herb & spice in the stock. Id be surprised if the stock wasn't well salted and full of flavours!
Ive already eaten there and its not. The stock is "just" chicken stock. But its not random chicken. Like explained, its a top notch chicken race and matured as well. The flavor is just chicken but intense. Its a little bit the same comparison beetween a random burger and a plain one, but made with A5 wagyu dryed aged beef. Not even saying that the broth is obviously done with the carcasse of the others roasted chicken. And its used, again and again, becoming stronger in flavor each time you top it up with new carcasse juice.
Came here to say this. The stock is the secret. I know what I'm trying this week.
@@philipgwyn8091 no the secret is the chicken he uses.
@@homasas4837 It's both. A perpetual stock of a top notch chicken.
MSG can probably substitute this secret without adding extra flavors, just sayin :)
Cher Alex, vous ne pouvez pas me faire autant plaisir que de parler de cet endroit magique pour ceux qui aiment la volaille et surtout la belle volaille. Je fréquente cet endroit depuis son ouverture en 2012 et j'ai une petite pensée pour Thierry Lébé qui a longtemps oeuvré dans cette institution. L'accueil y a été toujours remarquable autant que les plats. Un convive végétarien il y a quelques années, ils se mirent en quatre pour faire une magnifique et succulente poêlé de légumes. Toutes les personnes que j'ai convié ou à qui j'ai recommandé cet endroit ont été unanimes - et ce n'est pas fréquent à Paris. Je comprends que vous soyez tombé sous le charme de cette excellence à la française, discrète mais redoutablement délicieuse dans une simplicité déconcertante.
Moi aussi je suis dans la quête du poulet parfait (à mon goût). J'apprécie votre nouvelle quête. Bon courage et au plaisir de regarder vos prochaines vidéos.
Bonne dégustation,
There's nothing more complicated than cooking a rather simple dish, but with fewer ingredients, to a PERFECTION!
When you spoke French to the chef you look like a different person. Your facial expressions changed quite a bit and gave you a different energy 💜
It's always interesting to see how speaking different languages effects people's mannerisms and to an extend their personality. I only really speak English but my partner speaks French, English and Polish and it is so strange and amazing to see how differently she seems based on the language!
Ha, yes, I grew up in Germany and am a US citizen now. My American friends are almost shocked when I speak my native tongue to my German wife.
I love how French cuisine works to draw out the true essence of the ingredient. Nothing is over seasoned or spiced, just very high quality food cooked perfectly.
I'd LOVE your take on perfecting Peking Duck Buns. Your thoroughness and tenacity for perfection are captivating!
My favorite sandwich is roast chicken, stuffing, bread sauce and proper chicken gravy served hot. Amazing!!
The age of the bird is a huge factor. An older bird has so much more flavor, and instead of mushy over-tenderness, the muscles have actual definition and some "chew". The tougher skin will also hold up better through the poach + roast.
I love making red braised chicken with stewing hens and lament that chicken a little older than broilers are not readily available on the market.
Try around for a farmer, you never know how close good chicken might be
There's a place nearby that's been doing organic-fed rotisserie chicken and they are SO GOOD. I'm sure it's not a patch on that crazy French heirloom, but otherwise it's just like you describe... crunchy and juicy and a little bit sticky. After I gnaw everything obvious off the carcass, it still makes a really nice broth.
What sets you and your channel apart from other is the full on joy and enthusiasm you bring to learning from the pros and then sharing that with your viewers!
I cannot believe I actually forgot about you, my dear Alex!! It's been 2 years since I've seen your beautiful expressions over delectable offerings!! In Australia we have charcoal chicken places everywhere and when you find a good one, it's pretty good, although too much seasoning and salt is used. But like you I pull every scrap of chicken off the carcass, as thats the tastiest!! People think I'm weird for doing it...they just don't understand chickenomics!! It's absolutely abhorrent how most chickens are kept to live their short lives, yet the ones who are allowed to live free and roam and grow, you taste the happiness they've experienced and you in turn partake of that happiness!! The funny thing is I can pick up an old bird (or boiler chicken) for a couple of dollars compared to a "roasting" bird, yet the flavour from the older one far outways the younger, pumped full of water birds! I am so happy to have rekindled my passion for food through you. Take care and stay well. Peace and Love from Australia
When I lived in France I loved getting the rotisserie chicken from the markets.
this is the type of comfort food that everyone deserves and needs. It's more than appreciated that you're sharing this. Merci.
Growing up in the 60's my mom made a simple oven roasted chicken, butter and salt in a cast iron pan. She could get the skin so crisp. But for a treat, Dad would go to Zorn's in Bethpage NY for their Rotisserie Poultry. The best. I would swear that back then they were using the same ovens as LE COQ ET FILS.
Looking forward to a continuation of this series.
Haven't made it to the end of the comments looking for someone saying this, but you should try peruvian rotisserie chicken "Pollo a la Brasa", in Peru. It does use seasonings, but it is THAT good.
I love how passionate this guy is about everything
Did anyone else see the screw that was in the chicken wing at 9:00 😅 Probably left from the rotisserie skewers.
I think that's a metallic tag, since these are specially bred chickens
@@tarrakisI think so. But kind of dangerous if it gets into your mouth inadvertently.
@@tarrakisahh good point! Didn't realize speciality chicken had metal tags.
to prove the breed of the chicken, it's a Label, probably, each chicken have an ID paper too...
You are the channel from whom I expect the most vividly every episode in the whole world.
Damn, i forgot how much I love properly cooked chicken. Poaching and then rotisserie is such a smart way to cook it. I am 100% going to try it.
Yep, where I live (Brazil) we also have the rotisserie chicken culture. It's absolutely amazing. We use a few spices with oil though.
Here in Venezuela it’s oil with a ton of garlic thrown on at the end.
Je suis dans une grande école de gastronomie française (FERRANDI) et sur le sujet des poulet rôtis une grande parti concerne l'évissération et le bridage de la volaille et surtout la sauce qui accompagne ce met délicat, je pense que ça serait intéressant d'aborder aussi cette parti là du poulet rôti pour compléter la série une fois que tu auras bien entendu perfectionner la cuisson ❤🍗
Your use of the Ravel quartet is *MASTERFUL!* Merci, Alex!
Here in Brazil, rotisserie chicken is a thing too. We use to eat it with potato salad. It's the Sunday dish
Paris looks sunny and warm in November. And shorts? Wow.
Traveling the canals of France in a canal boat, it is always a treat to find a chicken roaster in the village. and the potatoes....
Canals are underrated
Rotisserie chicken being something super French actually really surprised me! My mom grew up in the GDR and rotisserie chicken (they called it Broiler) was a staple there, as well. So I always assumed this was something Eastern German, because in Western Germany, this wasn't really a thing, at least not as much as in the GDR by far. =D
It's so fun to discover cultural similarities - we didn't have it as a Sunday meal, but we had it at least every other week.
I grew up in west Germany, pork or beef was a more common Sunday dinner. We were no strangers to rotisserie chicken though, I have many fond memories of eating at a chain restaurant called Weinerwald where the rotisserie chicken was a staple of the menu. I had relatives living in the DDR as we called it, or GDR. It amazed me how different the foods were. It was like a completely different culture.
@@jamesstein5087 Wir haben natürlich auch DDR gesagt :D
Jägerschnitzel ist auch so ein Kandidat, komplett anderes Gericht, beides wahnsinnig lecker!
Roast chicken is my favorite meal. These two videos had my saliva running!
The poaching is a new idea that i will have to try, this maybe out of the blue but i wonder how it would be if poached in a master stock and the cooked. You are right about the memories, watching the video brought back memories from 25 years ago of my grandmother making rotisserie chicken, the time effort and yes love she put into it. Thank you for the memories and ideas, take care. God bless one and all.
At 9:00 it's Terminator Chicken
There's some of the rotisserie hardware stuck in the wing.
Alex, good you didn't break a tooth!
Looks delicious 😋
Hi, the metal piece you see on the wing is not from the machine, it's called une bague, it's a piece of metal place on a chicken for tracability. It contains info like date of birth, place of raise, lineage, etc... Just like the metal plates us soldiers have. That way each chicken can be track down.
@@bombojack5893 I am very surprised that they left it though. Because you can indeed easily break a tooth on it if you aren't careful.
@@lolilollolilol7773it is kept there for its purpose, which is to tell the customer the origin of the chicken. Same as the label on a bottle of wine
Belgian here. We had rotisserie chicken every Wednesday growing up. Since school only goes till noon here on Wednesday. So we'd pick up a chicken on the way home and toss some fries in the fryer and that was weekly lunch.
This is the first time I've heard of poaching the whole chicken first in chicken stock, then roasting it. This is a different take on the reverse-sear for chicken! You have created a monster! I know it won't be like this, but now I want to try this. I'll poach a whole grocery store chicken in stock for 20 minutes, then roast it in a hot oven. I can't wait!
Some people will never understand that if you have a high-quality ingredient (which does not mean expensive, it could simply be a tomato from the garden instead of the supermarket) there is no need for spices or flavorings. Facts.
Alors, Alex!! It’s Sunday, I just wrapped up my best roast chicken. It was delicious, but I can’t help thinking about these videos. When are you going to show us how it’s really done? Ci-mer!
-A fellow home cook!
Had this chicken last Christmas … truly incredible
As always mate your videos are a perfect blend of action, art and education 👌
Please never stop Alex, the joy and entusiasm is so good! You can tell that you really really love food! This always inspire me every time I'm down or don't feel like cooking!👌
like i said on last video boiled chicken then finishing it off in the oven and after that at least 30 minutes of rest time at the right temperature is how you achieve the perfect chicken.
i used stock before but i didn't notice any difference from regular water. maybe resting you chicken overnight in stock would make a huge difference i might try that.
I ate here today, and it was very, very good. Thank you Alex! But. I make a roast chicken with chickens from the farm nearby (in Massachusetts) cooked at very high heat in my wood oven, with maple and s oak wood. The high heat cooks it quickly so it is moist throughout, and the skin is shatteringly crisp. Sorry, I think the roasted one is better.
Salut Alex. Je pense que son bouillon est parfumé au thym et à l'estragon, à minima, en plus d'être hyper concentré. C'est au pochage que se joue toute sa recette, quelle merveille. Genève - Paris en TGV, nous ne sommes qu'à trois petites heures de ce bonheur éphémère. J'y fonce ! Merci pour cette madeleine et toutes les vidéos que tu nous offres depuis le début de ton aventure sur youtube. Ciao !
We went here yesterday and it was delicious!!! Definitely going back.
I love these fundamental (you could call it simple) deep dives. It really shows that cooking is both simple and really difficult.
Getting 80% there is easy, but achieving the >99.5% is almost impossible. Keep it comming!!!
Amazing once again, Alex! I've been eating vegetarian for several years now, but a good, crispy, fatty, juicy roasted chicken is still something I miss every now and again...
this is my comfort content Alex, I love every masterpiece you've produced!
Here in Canada, we have a Quebecois chain called St Hubert. When I was a kid I remember going with my parents to their iconic yellow-roofed building for rotisserie chicken. We moved away from that town and grew up without my chicken. I have such fond memories of coming down the hill we lived on and seeing that yellow roof in the distance.
I went back now that I am older only to find the memory was fonder than reality. Ever since I have wanted to learn to roast a chicken and fill that memory. I hope I can do it justice one day. These videos might be the inspiration I need to just do it.
French. Portuguese, Greek, Brazilian, Mexican roast chickens are some of my favorites.
Thanks for solving the mystery,also thank for putting sponsor part of the video at last. You Alex are a great guy and we luv u
Sorry, kids. Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken is where it is at. 🇵🇪
Peru is the best in everything 😂
This also in the USA.
CostCo has a 5.00 Rotisserie chicken that will feed you for a couple days with carved meat, picked meat, and then soup from the carcass. In my family it was the cuts standing at the counter with lettuce and vegtables from the garden, then mexican style chiken soup with the picked meat and the carcass.
Alex is making me want to go to France more and more...
I used to eat rotisserie chicken every week too, but on a wednesday because it was on 50% sale, and it was definitely not as good since it was from a small supermarket in Italy where quality control is not their top priority, but I still loved it and that is where I learned the anatomy of the chicken lmao
It was zero% off on Sunday when it was cooked 😎
these chickens go for like 120 euro for a full chicken like you saw in the video, it's ridiculously overpriced for what you get
Well @@HarrDarr somebody has to pay for the birds time in the stock-infused brine!
It certainly looks delicious, simple ingredients done extremely well = delicious!
When I was growing up '50s into the '60s here in the US, we had a rotisserie. With the glass door in front, it was so much fun to just sit and watch that bird go round and round, seeing how the bird changed while it cooked. Thanks for the memory, Alex et Fils.
Usually I do Colombo spice mix and loads of salt. But the poaching seems like a great idea to get a juicy result.
Hi Alex! You need to try Peruvian rotisserie chicken, it is something out of this world.
honestly super excited for Alex attempt to make this himself, that juicy chicken plus the sauce on the side...craving a good roast chicken now.
Alex, EVERY rotisserie chicken is the best rotisserie chicken in the world.
Just booked my reservation there! Going to Paris in a few weeks
Love your channel Alex! The cinematography and content are out of this world! Youre one of a kind!😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤
It just looks amazing... so cripsy and juicy, and the color!
Same here in England, Sundays and Roast chicken is a childhood memory for us all.
I am watching this eating my chicken.... thoroughly enjoyable. Incroyable!
the best rotisserie chicken I have tasted was in Berlin Germany it actually put the rotisserie chicken to shame in France that's how good it was however you cannot find a place in Berlin Germany anymore that serves this dish as they used a different type of chicken as it was over 25 years ago that this place in Berlin shut its doors broiled chicken with the french fries cooked in its own chicken fat drippings the dish was amazing and I noticed on how they prepared it they used clarified butter dipped in spices and brushed it on the rotisserie chicken that made the chicken a touch crispy with a bit of flavoring
Alex, thank you or this series. I am really looking forward for you version of rotisserie chicken. I hope that I will be able to do it at home too one day. :)
When my parentes got engaged in 1966 my grandmother bought them a rotissery chicken. It was The most chic thing to eat back then. There was just 1 place to get it in Finland.
That is fascinating. In Sydney Australia what is popular is Lebanese charcoal chicken which is eaten with a garlic dip. Without the dip the meat would be dry.
This poaching method really means the chicken is twice cooked. The stock soaks in to the meat and the. The heat from the rotisserie makes the skin crispy.
Alex, thanks for sharing and thanks to LE COQ ET FILS, that chicken looked next level delicious! I'm now craving roast chicken! 🙂🙂😋😋
It is Thanksgiving here in the US, but this year it it just me and my father, so instead of a turkey we decided to do a chicken instead. Inspired by this series, I got a chicken, not old enough, but two weeks before a meal is too late to buy chicks and raise chickens, which is how you would get a suitable bird here in the States. I also got a pack of 4 thighs. The night before, I made chicken stock perhaps 1.5 or 2 liters.
This morning, I grabbed a saw, found a tree (looked for Acer, Betula, Fraxinus, or Fagus, woods that would not negatively flavor the chicken, found a Fraxinus) that was straight and between 25 and 35 mm in diameter, cut out a section and peeled the bark, because I needed a spit to roast the chicken on. Drilled a few cross holes to put Populus pegs through to keep the bird from slipping when the spit was turned. Squared the ends to make it convenient to rotate 90 degrees and be stable resting on the handles/ends of our turkey roasting rack. The turkey rack on our roasting pan had just enough height so that putting the spit across the ends the chicken cleared the rack by about 5 mm. Top of spit was about 90 mm above center of the rack.
Poached the chicken 20 minutes at 62 to 67 C, temperature got a bit higher than I wanted it to. This was 20 min. starting after the pot recovered to 60 C, it took a few minutes after the chicken went in the pot for the broth to come back up to temperature. Dropped from 65 C to about 48 C. Some care is required handling the chicken after poaching as the skin became a bit sticky and much more delicate than when raw or when fully cooked, not sure if that's a side effect of the temperature overshoot or normal for poaching.
Checked oven manual for our electric convection oven, and discovered that there is an option for F or C. Roasted at 150 C, turning the spit every 20 min. I should have used my Red Dot thermometer to continuously monitor the temperature, as it would have allowed me to start the high temperature phase when at 71 C, instead of overshooting to 77.
Using the (non-convection) bake setting in the oven the convection fan runs intermittently and the oven heats primarily by intermittent use of the broiler element about 50% duty cycle. Setting the oven to 275 C, I found that rotating the bird about every 2.5 minutes would produce modest browning. The rotation pattern was: breast, back, left, right. I did 3 cycles for the sides and 4 for the breast and back. It was a nuisance to be at the oven opening it to rotate the bird so frequently, but it did allow cool air into the oven and made it more similar to a rotisserie machine where the heat is directional. There is snow here, so the extra heat in the kitchen was not a problem. The result was without question, the most beautiful chicken that has ever been cooked in our house. I look forward to seeing your next steps. What you have covered so far already produces very promising results when applied.
For seasoning I kept it very simple, a light sprinkle of salt, a modest grind of black pepper, and a light drizzle of olive oil on top of that. No basting of any sort. With the fairly short broiling cycles between rotation the subcutaneous fat melts enough to sort of self baste the skin, but by turning and letting it cool it seems to allow the skin to retain some fat rather than all of it being driven out, so there never appeared to be a need for supplemental basting. It was organic, but still US chickens may be fattier than French ones, so I'm not sure if this would hold true if using a poulet instead of a chicken.
Wooden spits while very traditional, probably have a functional life of 2 to 6 uses at this size. The broiling is hard on them. Soak in water for at least an hour before use if it's not freshly cut, and coat liberally with a moderate to high smoke point vegetable oil if you wish to extend the service life of a wooden spit.
the technique of poaching before roasting reminds me of Peking Duck, which is bathed in hot vinegar water and then left to dry before roasting.
My local grocery has rotisserie chicken and they are delicious. My favorite is the wing.
We love rotisserie chicken so much i bought use a counter top oven with built in rotisserie the HYSapientia 24L Air Fryer Oven With Rotisserie Large XXL . The great thing is you can rotisserie other joints of meat to, pork shoulder being a favorite. The poach is new, never even thought of it but it does make sense and we will try it out and see if it is practical. As home cooks i think we will freeze the stock between uses, bring it to a low boil for awhile before lowering the temp for poaching, the stock will be based on knorr stock powder the WaNaHong version not there professional product line version.
We do bast the chicken with melted salted butter with paprika, and abit of the knorr chicken powder, sometimes use a brush made with fresh herbs if it is a special meal.
I do remove the wish bone prior to cooking to make it easier to carve, as that is how my dad did it.
Last year i invested in cypriot greek charcoal BBQ grill and it is even better than the oven rotisserie, alot more work but worth it for family BBQ get togethers. I does rotisserie kebabs as well. Expense bit of kit i bought off amazon uk, the specific model is "SunshineBBQs Stainless Steel Cypriot Greek Charcoal BBQ with 2 bottom trays & 2 Electric 220-240v Motors" make sure to use quality charcoal as well it does make a differance.
Take care, God bless one and all.
Well, the spices are in the stock.
Im in Australia and can say yes to the joy of a well cooked rotisserie chicken.
Home cooked in the oven has always been a struggle to get it as good as or better than places offering cooked rotisserie magic 😍
And how you described this one ... I may not be able to get one as good but the emotion evoked by well cooked chicken will have to do (until i find better).
one of the most international dishes IMHO, it also means a lot for me
I wasn't planning on going anywhere today, but we went out to get some rotisserie chicken. 🤤
There's something beautiful about a Micheline star chef giving up his stars to make something so simple and humble like chicken; Chicken so good, it doesn't need even seasoning.
I’m dying. I need this. Now.
We have a Portuguese butcher shop that only makes 14 rotisserie chickens per day (only 1 machine). They open at 10am and the chicken is gone by noon. I would hang my hat that it's among the best in the world 🌎
The poaching method reminds me a lot of how chicken is prepared in a lot Chinese restaurants. But that chicken, bread, sauce reminds me also of a hot chicken sandwich. I’ll try the poach than roast as I just got a rotisserie
I've never heard of poaching before roasting ...but makes delicious sense.
My local market does a steady business making rotisserie chicken next to Deli Dept.
When I watch a video like this, I'm expecting you do make the chicken in your own way. Is that a part two? Lately, feels like your videos never reach a climax.
This might be the setup for him building a rotisserie grill in his yard, I sure hope so 😁
a man eating the best and bougiest simple chicken in the world wearing a carhartt shirt. Love it!
Everything is in the stock &bones 🎉🎉🎉🎉!!!Its the BEST bite and it is only January 😊
Idk if its because I live in a more rural area of the US but I can still find larger older hens for sale consistently. I can say that they have much more flavor than the smaller hens. That being said, I will have to try this method in the future because I usually smoke them spatchcock and then finish them in the broiler.
im trying this over the weekend!!!
Can't wait For you to build your own rotisserie oven Alex!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Tried the method, that is poaching for 20-30mins in a stock and roasting the heritage bird whole.The juicyiness and tenderness of the chicken was all there along with the flavour. What was missing was that almost sticky exterior which I think is what happens when the chicken rotates and bastes itself in its own juices. Needless to say I've ordered a rotisserie kit for my outdoor grill / smoker to try the method again
I love the parts of you riding around Paris, especially the parts I recognize/have been to. Makes me want to go back...and eat some rotisserie chicken.
I've been there when it was still called Le Coq Rico. I had the Bresse chicken. I agree with you, it was amazing.
A place to go next time in Paris and a receipt to try . Thanks ❤
great video, I love rotisserie chicken and do it often but am going to try this recipe.
I never thought of France having pre-made rotisserie chicken. I thought I was just a thing at American markets for families who either didn’t have the time, or want o fuss with roasting a chicken at home.
That chicken stock has all the herbs and flavors you'd ever need