Chicken Au Poivre Recipe
Swap the expensive steak for a whole butterflied chicken in this classic French dish. Crushed black peppercorns, cream, and sherry combine into a savory pan sauce that thickens right in the oven while the chicken roasts.
Servings: 4 serves
Ingredients
- 3.3 lbs Butterflied chicken
- 3 tsp Smoked salt flakes
- 2 tsp Olive oil
- ⅓ cup Shallot chopped
- 1 tsp Garlic clove grated
- 1½ tbsp Black pepper crushed
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ cup Sherry dry wine
- 1 tsp Fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 tsp Fresh thyme chopped
- 1 ¼ cups Light cream
If adding green peppercorn
- 2 tbsp Green peppercorn drained (optional)
- 1 tbsp Black pepper crushed
Instructions
Roasted the Chicken
- Pat the butterflied chicken dry with paper towels. Drizzle with olive oil and season both sides evenly using 2 teaspoons of the smoked salt flakes. Season the skin side with extra freshly cracked black pepper. Transfer the chicken to an oven-safe baking dish and roast for 25 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200C (400F)
Peppercorn Sauce
- While the chicken is in the oven, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the crushed black pepper, rosemary, thyme, shallot, and garlic. Sauté for about 2 minutes, until the shallot is tender.
- Pour in the dry sherry wine to deglaze the pan. Carefully ignite the wine using a lighter to flambé. Let the flames burn off completely, then stir in the light cream and the remaining 1 teaspoon of smoked salt flakes. Remove from heat and set the sauce aside.
- After 25 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven (the skin slightly golden). Skim off and discard any excess fat juice from the baking dish. Pour half of the prepared peppercorn sauce directly over the chicken. Return it to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, pour the remaining half of the sauce over the chicken. Bake for a final 10 minutes, or until the chicken skin is golden brown and crispy and the peppercorn sauce has thickened to a rich, luscious coating consistency.
- Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, and serve warm with the creamy sauce au poivres spooned generously over top.
If using, add the whole green peppercorns.
Turn down your stove's flame before pouring in the sherry wine.
Notes
Storage, Reheating, and Make Ahead
You can butterfly and season the chicken up to a day in advance. Storing it uncovered in the fridge overnight dries out the skin, helping it get extra crispy in the oven.
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the meat and the sauce together so the chicken stays moist. Avoid the freezer entirely, as the dairy-based sauce will separate and become very grainy when thawed.
- Oven reheating: Place the chicken and sauce in a baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and warm at 325°F (160°C) until heated through.
- Stovetop reheating: Warm everything gently in a skillet over low heat. If the cold sauce looks separated, whisk in a small splash of warm chicken broth to smooth it out.
Let the chicken rest on a wire rack set over a cutting board instead of a flat plate. This keeps the bottom skin from getting soggy in its own juices before you carve it!
Nutrition
Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 244mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1022IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 1mg