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Crème fraîche and fresh herbs produce a richly browned bird by Olia Hercules
Chicken Roasted with Garlic-Herb Crème Fraîche
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In “Summer Kitchens,” Ukraine-born Londoner and cookbook author Olia Hercules writes, “Chicken smothered and baked in cultured cream is an old classic, but sometimes I like to go one step further.” So she packs bold flavor into crème fraîche by mixing it with fresh herbs and garlic before slathering it onto a whole bird. In this recipe, our adaption of her simple yet succulent pot-roasted chicken, we coat the bird inside and out with garlicky, herby crème fraîche and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours before roasting. The crème fraîche not only adheres the garlic and herbs to the bird, its high fat content helps with browning and adds flavor. (Sour cream, which is much leaner, is not a suitable substitute.) Hercules shreds the meat off the bones after cooking, but we like to serve the chicken carved, its richly browned skin adding to the flavor and overall allure. We also make a simple sauce to serve alongside.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t leave the herbs damp after washing them. Be sure to dry them well or the moisture may cause them to become watery when processed. Don’t use a glass or ceramic baking dish. A metal baking pan is best because it’s a good conductor of heat and is guaranteed not to crack when water is poured in midway through roasting. A 9-by-13-inch pan is perfectly sized for the chicken; in a larger pan, the drippings are apt to scorch because of the greater surface area. Finally, make sure to remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 1 hour before roasting. This will help it cook more evenly.
1¾ hours
45 minutes active, plus refrigeration and standing time
1 bunch dill, leaves and stems, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, leaves and stems, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
6 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 cup crème fraîche
3½-4 pound whole chicken, patted dry inside and out
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Ingredients
-
1
bunch dill, leaves and stems, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
-
1
bunch flat-leaf parsley or cilantro, leaves and stems, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
-
6
medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
-
1
cup crème fraîche
-
3½-4
pound whole chicken, patted dry inside and out
-
2
tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
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01In a food processor, combine the dill, parsley or cilantro, garlic and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Process until the herbs are finely chopped, about 1 minute. Add the crème fraîche and process just until combined, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping the bowl as needed; do not overprocess. Transfer ½ cup of the mixture to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate for making the sauce. Scrape the remainder into another small bowl and refrigerate until chilled and slightly thicker, about 30 minutes; this portion will be used directly on the chicken.See Demo
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02Place the chicken in a metal 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Using a spoon, spread ¼ cup of the crème fraîche mixture for the chicken in the cavity of the bird. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Slather the remaining crème fraîche mixture all over the exterior of the chicken (it’s fine if some of it falls into the pan). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.See Demo
-
03About 1 hour before roasting, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let stand, still covered, at room temperature. Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the lower-middle position.
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04After the chicken has stood for about 1 hour, remove the plastic wrap and tent the pan with a large sheet of extra-wide foil; try to keep the foil from touching the chicken. Roast for 40 minutes. Remove the crème fraîche mixture for the sauce from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature.See Demo
-
05Working quickly, remove the foil from the chicken, pour ¾ cup water into the pan and continue to roast, uncovered, until the thickest part of the breast registers 160°F and the thighs reach 175°F, another 20 to 30 minutes; if at any point the pan is close to dry, add water to prevent scorching. Carefully tip the juices from the cavity of the bird into the pan, then transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Let rest while you make the sauce.See Demo
-
06Scrape up any browned bits in the bottom of the pan, then pour the liquid into a fine mesh strainer set over a liquid measuring cup. Let the liquid settle for a few minutes, then use a spoon to skim off and discard the fat from the surface. You should have ½ to ¾ cup defatted liquid; if you have more, you will need to reduce it to that amount. Either way, pour the liquid into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high; if needed cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to ½ to ¾ cup. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the reserved ½ cup crème fraîche mixture and the lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper.See Demo
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07Carve the chicken and transfer to a platter. Pour about ¼ cup of the sauce over the chicken, then serve with the remaining sauce on the side.See Demo
Tip: Don’t leave the herbs damp after washing them. Be sure to dry them well or the moisture may cause them to become watery when processed. Don’t use a glass or ceramic baking dish. A metal baking pan is best because it’s a good conductor of heat and is guaranteed not to crack when water is poured in midway through roasting. A 9-by-13-inch pan is perfectly sized for the chicken; in a larger pan, the drippings are apt to scorch because of the greater surface area. Finally, make sure to remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 1 hour before roasting. This will help it cook more evenly.
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Reviews
August 5, 2022
homemade creme fraiche
the ratio to make your own is 1 cup heavy cream 2 TBL buttermilk mix and cover with plastic wrap. let sit out of refrigerator for 24 hours mix again and refrigerate
June 24, 2022
Review
Did not love this recipe. It looked delicious, we love all the ingredients but there was a little too much going on with the flavors one cooked. I followed directions exactly. I think my conclusion was that a simple roasted chicken with that sauce on the side would have been batter than marinating the chicken in the sauce before cooking. Thankful to have a recipe from pre-2022 war in Ukraine. I want to try the pork with sauerkraut and fruit next.
Hi Susan -
Unfortunately full-fat Greek yogurt has even less fat than sour cream so it won't work here either. You can actually make your own creme fraiche at home: mix together heavy cream and buttermilk, and let it sit at room temperature until it reaches its desired thickness (around 8 to 24 hours).
Best,
The Milk Street Team
I do not have that sized metal baking pan. I do have a ceramic baking pan which is broiler-safe, so I don't think it would crack when water is added. While I'd like to make the dish, it doesn't make sense to me to buy other pan. Is metal that important for the end result?
Hi Katherine -
I checked in with the recipe developer who said a ceramic baking pan would not be recommended here. Not only are there worries about the material cracking from the change in temperature, but metal is a better conductor of heat than ceramic or glass. Therefore, the chicken cooks more evenly from top to bottom in a metal pan.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
I ended up using a stainless steel sauté pan. I'm glad I didn't purchase a special pan for the recipe. The crème fraiche mixture kept sliding off the chicken (which I had dried well). After loosening the skin on the breasts and legs, I put the crème fraiche under the skin. The final sauce was very tasty but I'm not certain it'll be a repeat bid.
This was EXCELLENT! Loved it. I made it with what I had in the fridge, so not the exact recipe, unfortunately. I bet it will be even better when I do it with the right ingredients! I didn't have fresh dill, so used 2TBSP dry. I also didn't have creme fresh, but did have buttermilk. Subbed that - seemed to work great. I used 3 boneless chicken breasts. It was scrumptious. Warning - you will have garlic breath! And you will be grateful for it - this dish is worth it.
My daughter had a meal planned for tomorrow night so after smushing the creme fraiche/garlic/herb mixture (with some added fresh basil that would otherwise have gone to waste) all over the chicken I am going to have to wait another 20 hours--i.e., it will be about 40 hours from smushing to roasting. The recipe says 2 hours up to 24 but my daughter comes first. Pray for me.
Well, that was a disaster. I followed every step EXCEPT I let the chicken sit in the fridge for 48 hours instead of up to 24. My fault. Something came up the day I was supposed to roast it and took a chance. After roasting, the meat was somewhat rubbery, the herbed creme fraiche left clumps all over, and the dill had saturated the chicken to the point of making it taste dill-pickled. I found the meat only borderline edible and the skin awful. The good news is what happened next. I threw away the skin and bones, chopped the meat, mixed in chopped celery and mayo, and had one hell of a good chicken salad. I sometimes use fresh dill in my chicken salad so it didn't taste strange at all, the garlic punched things up, and the odd texture of the meat wasn't even noticeable. It was one of the three or four best chicken salads I've ever had. So there's that. I'm not sure if I'll make this again (the correct way) because of the texture issue. Maybe.
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Your First Issue
My grocery stores do not carry creme fraiche. I note you are not recommending substituting sour cream. What about whole fat Greek yogurt? Goat cheese?