French Fridays with Dorie: Hurry up and Wait Roast Chicken

Dorie Greenspan Hurry up and Wait Roast Chicken on eatlivetravelwrite.comThis week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe (Hurry up and Wait Roast Chicken, pp 202-203) is more a technique than a recipe.  Dorie follows the lead of Joël Robuchon and suggests roasting the bird at a high temperature (450˚F), starting it on one side, then turning it (on its other side, then on its back) every 20-25 minutes for about an hour (that’s the “hurry up” part) then resting it nearly standing on its head for 15-20 minutes so that the juices can resettle in the breast which can sometimes be dry. Kind of like your own version of a rotisserie chicken, sans rotisserie.

It’s a clever technique (and it makes a lot of sense) although imagine trying to turn a hot chicken in a hot oven over a spattering pan? Yeah, it’s kinda awkward. I think for this you’d need some silicone pot holders – I used tongs and it was incredibly tricky.

Dorie Greenspan Hurry up and Wait Roast chicken on its side in the oven on eatlivetravelwrite.comChicken resting with its tail in the air on eatlivetravelwrite.comPoor little poulet rôti, sitting with his tail in the air…

And the result? Yes it was a crispy-skinned chicken with juicy meat. Was it better than Mr Neil’s roast chicken (see below for the link)? No, but a close *close* second. I found the higher heat for the entire time made for a lot of spattering in the oven (my pristine, new oven!) and the need to turn the bird every 20 minutes or so for an hour made for a more complicated dish than I consider roast chicken to be. Until recently we would start our bird at high heat for 15 minutes, then turn it down to a slightly lower temperature for the remainder of the time. With the new oven, we’ve found that it will cook very nicely at one temperature for the entire cook time on the “Convection Roast” setting. I’m glad I tried Dorie’s technique but not sure it’s one I’d use again.

Other roast chicken posts you might also like:

Mr Neil’s Roast Chicken
M Jacques Armagnac Chicken
Olive Oil Cornish Hens
Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux

 

French Fridays with Dorie participants do not publish the recipes on our blogs (though this week, you can find the recipe online here), we prefer if you purchase Around My French Table for yourselves which you can do here on Amazon or Amazon Canada. Or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository. Go on, treat yourself then join us here!

 

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26 thoughts on “French Fridays with Dorie: Hurry up and Wait Roast Chicken”

  1. Mardi, this is soo French:-) I love the techniques of Joël Robuchon (got two French books he authored, and I experiments with recipes from them, every once in a while).
    Love these pictures!
    And I relate to your feelings regarding ‘the spattering in the oven’. After-cooking-workshop cleaning is not fun and I share the concern.

    Have a good weekend!

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  2. Ditto. Feel the same way. Stick with Mr. Neil. (I think that’s already a given on many levels!!!) My chicken, like yours, was delicious. But, a roast chicken is usually an “easy” supper, something you throw in the oven after a little seasoning prep and leave alone. I am glad I did this (like you) but probably it will remain in the book not to be tried again. Long Live Joël.

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  3. I found the technique to be a bit fussy, too. However, I really didn’t enjoy turning a hot chicken. Although it did come out wonderful! Have a great weekend, Mardi!

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  4. Oooh, looks lovely. Your skin came out perfect. But I agree, tasty but not worth all that fussing around in the oven. It did make me appreciate my silicon oven mitts though,

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  5. I used tongs to turn my chook too – which was not only tricky, but cut into the crispy skin a bit! I loved how quick this was, and I liked the sauce made from the pan juices. Have a great weekend.

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  6. Totally with you on this one – kind of the point of a roast chicken is to let it roast by itself. But yours looks delicious! Good for you to sacrifice your new oven’s cleanliness!

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  7. I’m not sure I can comment without seeming self-interest…but I thought this was an interesting experiemtn – but would not repeat. It was a FINE roast chicken…but really, a lot of fuss cooking. Part of the appeal of many “roasts”, is the “pop in the oven and go do something else” factor.

    As Mardi alluded to, we’ve been experimenting with the new oven. Both the fact it’s a higher-quality new oven – so temperatures more exact – and also now we have convection. So yes, temperatures can drop.

    I paired with with a stunningly gorgeous bottle of wine: Grand Cru Winzenberg Pinot Gris 2010. Round and generous, peach pit, pear and hints of mineral. Nice acidity, with a touch of residual sugar. Took all my self-control not to open a second bottle!

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  8. I also used the tongs for flipping the bird (oh, that doesn’t sound right!) and lot a bit of skin in the process. I really liked the chicken as it was… maybe this is the closest cooking method to the rotisserie, with all that turning.

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  9. Great photos- love that shot of the little guy in the final handstand. Your take on it being a roti chicken without the roti was also spot on. We enjoyed it but will be taking an easier route next time. Have to say that the overall gorgeous color you got on that whole chicken looks spectacular. Must check out Mr. Neils for sure……

    Reply
  10. The flipping was a challenge. I think silicone mitts must be the secret, though I didn’t have any either. I agree that this is too fussy. I prefer to just let the chicken cook while I do other things. At least the end result was tasty. It could have been fussy, and then taste just okay.

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  11. I pulled mine out of the oven for the rotation – there was no way that wasn’t happening in the oven.
    Glad to hear Mr. Neil is still the champion.

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  12. You got some great colour on the chicken! I thought the technique wasn’t too hard, but I’d propped up my chicken with a lot of vegetables, which made the turning a little easier. The end result was delicious.

    Reply

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