When it comes to getting things right in the kitchen, Julia Child was the go-to cooking expert for generations. She first appeared on US television in 1963 with her show The French Chef, teaching us how to cook with her straight-talking approach. We take a look at her best-ever tips for cooking chicken perfectly every time.
When preparing a whole roast chicken, Julia trims the 'elbow' bits and removes the wishbone – two quick tricks that are well worth it later on. According to Julia, a whole chicken looks more presentable like this and is much easier to carve.
Julia insists that just a few moments drying the meat with a clean piece of kitchen roll is time well spent. Otherwise, residual surface moisture ends up steaming the chicken when it cooks. This tip will help brown and crisp up the skin.
Trussing (tying up the bird with kitchen twine) is a classic technique when roasting a chicken whole. In The French Chef, Julia trusses chicken so it cooks evenly and holds together throughout roasting, basting and turning. It also makes it easier when moving the bird to the carving board to rest.
An empty cavity means the chicken cooks quicker and more evenly. Julia once said you should only stuff a chicken if you want to make the meat go a lot further. Otherwise, you'll get the best results if you roast your bird as it is.
Instead of stuffing a chicken, Julia adds flavor by placing a dab of butter, seasoning and herbs inside the cavity. She doesn’t spread the butter out, but allows it to roll around and baste the interior when the chicken is in the oven. She also recommends ¼tsp of salt, ½tsp of dried or fresh tarragon, a chopped shallot for a gentle onion flavor, and parsley leaves.
In her favorite roast chicken recipe, Julia puts lemon slices inside the cavity and brushes 1tbsp of lemon juice over the whole chicken halfway through roasting. This crisps up the skin and gives it a delightful lemon tang.
Julia always rubs her roast chicken in butter. She believes everything tastes better with fat and that butter is the secret to really crispy skin. In The French Chef she says, “no matter what way you're going to cook it, chicken should have a butter massage.”
In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia shares her recipe for poulet poêle a l’estragon, or casserole-roasted chicken. For this dish, Julia roasts chicken over a bed of chopped carrots and onions – the chicken's juices drain and impart a meaty flavor on the roasted veg.
You should regularly scoop the juices and melted butter back over the chicken skin to get a lovely crispy texture and evenly cooked meat, according to Julia. But time is of the essence when basting, she says in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. If you leave the oven door open too long, the temperature will drop. This risks the bird taking longer to cook, the meat drying out and the skin never achieving that sought-after crispiness.
Julia’s ultimate tip for the perfect roast chicken is to cook its sides as well as its back. The juices then run into the breast and leg, and the whole bird is flavorsome. In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, she suggests browning the chicken at around 425°F (220°C) for 15 minutes, back side up, then rotating it onto its left side for five minutes and onto its right side for five minutes, basting with every rotation. Next, lower the oven to 350°F (175°C) and keep the chicken on its right side.
For a subtle or creamy chicken dish like Julia’s chicken supreme, she rubs chicken breasts with drops of lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. She believes this helps the flavor get right inside the meat.
In Cooking with Master Chefs, Julia advises that seasoning too much while cooking can ruin food. As sauces like chicken gravy reduce, the flavor intensifies and the salt content increases, she says. Sprinkle in salt at the end of cooking, rather than at the beginning, to avoid an unpalatable end result.
Julia believes fresh herbs are preferable to frozen or dried, but says if they’re not fresh you should check if they still have their original taste and fragrance before cooking with them. In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, she says classic French cooking uses far fewer herbs than most Americans would think – their purpose is to accent and complement, but never to dominate.
White burgundy, côtes du rhône and other dry, full-bodied white wines work well when cooking with chicken, Julia advises in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Another of her best tips is to use French vermouth for something less acidic. Handily, vermouth also keeps better than wine.
Julia always warns against overcrowding the baking tray or frying pan when cooking several pieces of chicken. Otherwise your chicken pieces will become too moist and the skin won't get crispy.
Julia hates the thought of overcooked chicken and has a number of checks to tell if it's cooked, which she details in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She pinches drumsticks to check if they're tender and says when fully cooked chicken is pierced with a fork or sharp knife, the juices should run a clear yellow, not pink.
After searing chicken, make your sauce by swirling some wine or stock around the pan. According to Julia, this releases the sweet, crispy browned bits of meat from the pan and improves the flavor of the sauce.
Lumpy chicken gravy is no problem for Julia – the fine sieve was made for this, she explains in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Simply force the sauce through the sieve or whiz it up in an electric blender. Julia also serves gravy in a hot gravy boat, which is a great way to keep it warmer for longer.
In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia gives us the much-appreciated advice that chicken fricassée is a make-ahead dish. Once cooked, create a film over the top with butter or stock and “it can now wait indefinitely”. In fact, the dish will have even more flavor if you leave it a day or two. When you’re ready, skim the fat off the surface and very gently reheat over a low flame.
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Julia’s most important lesson is to always cook with love and laughter. As she so wisely said: “Always remember: if you’re alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who’s going to know?".
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