La Poule au Pot - the easiest way to cook a whole chicken

Poule au Pot is the easiest way ever to cook a whole Chicken. It requires very little skill and it is nearly impossible to mess it up! The result is the most juicy, tender chicken meat that falls off the bone in a delicious, savory broth with big chunks of root vegetables that melt in your mouth.

While you are here, you likely will also enjoy my recipe for lemon thyme roast chicken, coq au vin or La Daube Provençale.

La Poule au Pot, or Chicken in a Pot, is one of the first dinners I learned to make in France when Le Chef and I moved in together. We were 23 years old and rented this tiny apartment in Antibes on the French Riviera with nothing but 2 electric burners, a tiny bar sink and a square of countertop for a kitchen. No oven. No microwave either and a tiny fridge akin to a dorm room fridge. But we had a view of le Fort Carré and the Mediterranean Sea...oh what a view... (scroll to the bottom of this post if you want to see photos of our first apartment together in Antibes)

Now back to the the chicken. I wanted to learn to make Roast Chicken like my French Grandmother-soon-to-be-in -law. "Ma cherie", my fiancé said with amusement. "On n'est pas équipés pour ça." (We are not set up to roast a whole chicken). He could, however, show me how to make Poule au Pot with the one soup pot we had.

Poule au Pot was a revelation! Fancy Chicken Soup! This dish is perfect for a chilly day at home as well as for Sunday lunch with your mother in law.

What makes this Poule au Pot recipe different?

Le Chef taught me a few key ingredients that really elevate the recipe that I am happy to share with you!

This recipe features Le Chef Sébastien's secret ingredients for making an amazing chicken broth. One of the healthiest recipes you will ever make and a French grandmother's cure all for all ailments!

#soupsundaychallenge

This recipe is part of the Soup Sunday Challenge - Eating better, one pot of soup per week.

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La Poule au Pot Origins

La Poule au Pot. Literally translated=chicken in a pot.

Just saying Poule au Pot (pronounced like Pool-oh-Poe) makes me feel warm and comforted.

King Henry the 4th famously said that every person in his kingdom would have a chicken in their pot every Sunday- meaning that no French person would go hungry.

"Je veux qu’il n’y ait si pauvre paysan en mon royaume qu’il n’ait tous les dimanches sa poule au pot. »

HENRI IV (1553-1610)

Histoire du Roy Henry le Grand (1681), Hardouin de Péréfixe.

It is easy to see how Chicken on Sunday has become almost a religious rite in France!

Now, 18 years later and living together in the USA, I love to make Poule au Pot for our family and always think back to that tiny apartment in Antibes.

Ingredients for La Poule au Pot

For the Stock:

1 Whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds). The highest quality you can find. I love the Green Circle Chicken from D'Artagnan If you are buying the chicken from a butcher ask them to clean out the insides. If you buy yours in the grocery store make sure to remove the giblets sack and the neck from the inside.

3 cloves of garlic - peeled with a little knife incision to release the flavors

1 large whole white onion, quartered (or several small onions)

2 stalks of celery, cut in large chunks (the size of the piece does not matter - this is to make the broth and will be discarded)

2 carrots, peeled and in left large chunks

1 star anise seed

2 bay leaves

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

For the Garnish:

4 large carrots, cut into large pieces

4 stalks of celery

2 leeks, cleaned and left whole

8 nugget Potatoes

2 turnips

2 parsnips

Fresh dill to garnish

Le Chef's secret ingredients

There are a few Poule au Pot recipes out there but I have not yet found one that features Le Chef Sébastien Giannini's secret ingredients for a chicken broth with a bright flavor direct from the French Riviera.

1. Star Anise - if you don't have star anise seed stocked in your pantry - please do yourself a favor and get some! The star shaped seed adds a delicious tanginess to a broth that is unmistakable to a trained palette. Délicieux!
2. Fresh Dill - a complementary flavor to the star anise, fresh dill elevates chicken broth and marries beautifully with the flavors of La Poule au Pot.

Equipment Needed*

A large dutch oven or stock pot. I use my classic Le Creusets but any dutch oven or stock pot would work as long as you can fit a whole chicken with enough space to cover it with water.

A bouillon strainer (or Chinoise) is key to getting a clear, flawless broth. I use this one and love it.

Shallow Soup Bowls like these ones are perfect for Poule au Pot. Deep enough that you can have a good amount of Bouillon but still be easy to cut inside.

*This post includes affiliate links - by clicking the links I make a small commission if you choose to buy, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business.

Bon Appétit!

Let me know if you try this recipe - I love to hear from you!

By leaving a star rating and a comment on this blog post you can help others to find my recipes. I would be so grateful!

Au plaisir,

Le Chef's Wife

P.S. As promised - here are a couple photos of our first apartment together in Antibes - we were 23 and newly engaged.

ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE

Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that busy people deserve to eat well at home.

We were just recently featured on the TODAY SHOW for our recipes of French Onion Soup Gratinée and Moelleux au Chocolat. You can watch our full segment here:

La Poule au Pot - the easiest way to cook a whole chicken

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: lechefswife
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 1h35
• Total Time: 1h45
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: soup
• Method: french
• Cuisine: french

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Description

La Poule au Pot is a fancy French chicken soup! Juicy, tender chicken meat that falls off the bone in a delicious, savory broth with big chunks of root vegetables. Delicious and healthy.

This recipe features Le Chef Sébastien's secret ingredients for making an amazing chicken broth. One of the healthiest recipes you will ever make and a French grandmother's cure all for all ailments!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients for La Poule au Pot

For the Stock:

• 1 Whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds). The highest quality you can find (like the Green Circle Chicken from D'Artagnan) If you are buying the chicken from a butcher ask them to clean out the insides. If you buy yours in the grocery store make sure to remove the giblets sack and the neck from the inside.
• 3 cloves of garlic - peeled with a little knife incision to release the flavors
• 1 large whole white onion, quartered (or several small onions)
• 2 stalks of celery, cut in large chunks (the size of the piece does not matter - this is to make the broth and will be discarded)
• 2 carrots, peeled and in left large chunks
• 1 star anise seed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
• ½ tsb of salt

For the Garnish:

• 4 large carrots, cut into large pieces
• 4 stalks of celery
• 2 leeks, cleaned and left whole  with the dark green fans removed
• 8 nugget Potatoes, peeled and left whole
• Fresh dill to garnish

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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Instructions

1. Drizzle olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic, onions, rosemary, thyme, carrot and celery.
3. Sautée until the onions begin to soften (about 5 minutes) being careful not to let the ingredients burn. Lower the heat if the pot gets too hot.
4. Deglaze your pot with 4 cups of water.
5. Gently set the chicken into the pot.* you don't need to brown the chicken for this recipe - you want the fat to be released into the broth directly*
6. Add enough water to cover the chicken.
7. Add the star anise, salt & bay leaves.
8. Bring the soup to a simmer and then bring down the heat to medium low - you want a soft boil.
9. Cover the pot ¾ of the way, leaving space for the steam to escape. 
10. 30 minutes into the cooking time, using a pair of kitchen tongs, turn the chicken over in the broth. Add more water so that the chicken is fully submerged.
11. After 45 minutes more - remove the chicken and place on a cutting board to cool. (Total cooking time for the chicken is 1h15 minutes. If you are starting with a chicken that is not fully defrosted up the cooking time to 1h30 or 1h45 until the meat comes easily off the leg bone and the thigh juices run clear when pierced with a fork)
12. Strain the broth. This is not necessary ,but it makes for a more esthetically pleasing soup broth that is clear and vibrant. Strain the broth and your soup will look like restaurant food. Placing a big pot or bowl under your strainer (I use this Chinoise) pour the broth through the strainer, being careful not to burn yourself.  You will be left with just a clear broth. I recommend doing this operation in the sink to avoid messes!
13. Pour the clear broth back into your stock pot and set back on the stove.
14. Bring back to a simmer on medium low heat.
15. Add the Garnish items: nugget potatoes, carrots, celery & leeks. Optional: Turnips, Parsnips and Fennel would also make great additions at this stage!
16. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft (try piercing with a fork). Then turn off the heat.
17. Poule au Pot is best served in shallow bowls.
18. Carve the chicken into portions.
19. Plate (culinary term meaning to assemble) each bowl with a portion of chicken and one of each whole vegetable. Ladle the broth generously over the top. You can chose to leave the breasts whole or slice them and divide between the bowls.
20. Finely chop the fresh dill and sprinkle over the top of the bowl.

The dill complements beautifully the star anise seed you used to make the broth.

Sprinkle with a little fleur de sel to finish if you so wish.

Serve with a knife, fork and spoon.

I dare you to find a healthier, more satisfying meal on a winter's day.

Bon Appétit!

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Notes

Le Chef Sébastien Giannini's secret ingredients:

• Star Anise - if you don't have star anise seed stocked in your pantry - please do yourself a favor and get some! The star shaped seed adds a delicious tanginess to a broth that is unmistakable to a trained palette. Délicieux!
• Fresh Dill - a complementary flavor to the star anise, fresh dill elevates chicken broth and marries beautifully with the flavors of La Poule au Pot.

Other Soup Recipes you will enjoy from Le Chef's Wife Kitchen:

Potage aux Légumes

Magical Leek Soup

French Onion Soup Gratinée

French Lentil Soup

Keywords: poule au pot, whole chicken, chicken soup, french cooking