Creamy, peppery, garlicky chicken… with a sauce you’ll want to mop up with bread. 🍗🧄✨
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
I don’t think there’s anything more comforting than soft buttery rolls, especially paired with chicken au poivre. It’s also my favourite way to pretend my kitchen is a fancy restaurant (without standing over the stove all night).
Instead of searing chicken breasts and making a pan sauce, we’re spatchcocking a whole chicken and roasting it right in the peppercorn cream. The cracked pepper, garlic, shallot and rosemary all get whisked into the cream with a splash of sherry cooking wine, then poured over the chicken after a quick first roast.
Quick confession… I didn’t actually spatchcock this one myself. I just asked my butcher to do it for me, which was pretty funny because they were SO confused by my accent. Apparently in the Midwest you just ask for a Whole Flat Bird. 😂 Noted.
Back into the oven it goes to bubble away while you baste it a couple of times. The skin turns golden. The sauce thickens up. And your whole house smells AMAZING.
Serve it with my same-day garlic butter dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and garlicky green beans… and make sure there’s something there to soak up every last drop of that sauce. 🤤
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Chicken au Poivre
- Tastes restaurant-fancy but is mostly hands-off oven time
- A whole chicken roasts in under an hour once it’s spatchcocked
- The creamy peppercorn sauce cooks right in the pan with the chicken
- Feeds 4-6, so it’s perfect for family dinners or having friends over
- Made with simple ingredients you can find at any grocery store
What You’ll Need
- Large oven-safe baking dish
- Sharp kitchen shears (or ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken)
- Two tea towels and a rolling pin or mallet, or a mortar and pestle
- Mixing bowl and whisk
- Spoon or baster
- Meat thermometer
I keep my favourite tools and pantry staples in my storefront if you want to peek!
A Few Helpful Tips Before You Begin
Crack the peppercorns, don’t grind them. You want broken pieces with some big chunks throughout. Pre-ground pepper turns the sauce gritty and too spicy, and you lose that lovely texture.
Don’t be scared of spatchcocking. It’s just two cuts along the backbone with sharp kitchen shears. And if you’d rather not, your butcher will happily do it for you (just ask for a Whole Flat Bird).
Baste, baste, baste. Spooning that cream sauce over the chicken twice during the second roast is what keeps it juicy and gives the skin that gorgeous golden colour. I set a timer for every 15 minutes so I don’t forget.
Use a meat thermometer. It’s the easiest way to know your chicken is cooked through. You’re looking for 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the breast.
Let it rest. Give the chicken at least 10 minutes before carving so the juices settle back into the meat.What You’ll Need
Creamy Chicken au Poivre FAQs
What does “au poivre” mean? It’s French for “with pepper”. It’s usually made with steak and a peppercorn pan sauce, but this version roasts a whole chicken right in a creamy peppercorn sauce.
Can I make this without the sherry cooking wine? Yes! Swap it for the same amount of chicken stock with a small squeeze of lemon juice.
What is spatchcocking? It means cutting out the backbone so the chicken lies flat. It cooks faster and more evenly, and more of the skin gets golden.
Can I use chicken breasts or thighs instead? This recipe is written for a whole spatchcocked chicken. Other cuts will cook in different times, so go by your meat thermometer and pull them out when they reach 165°F (74°C).
How do I know when it’s done? The chicken should be golden, the sauce should be bubbling, and the thickest part of the breast should read 165°F (74°C).
What should I serve with chicken au poivre? My same-day garlic butter dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and garlicky green beans are my favourite combo. Egg noodles, boiled new potatoes, a simple green salad or a crusty baguette are all lovely too.
How should I store leftovers? Keep leftover chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently until piping hot.
How to Make Creamy Chicken au Poivre
Here’s the quick version before we dive in:
- Spatchcock the chicken and season it with salt and olive oil.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) on convection.
- Crack the peppercorns.
- Whisk the peppercorns, rosemary, garlic, shallot, salt, cream and sherry together.
- Roast the chicken for about 15 minutes.
- Pour the peppercorn cream over and around the chicken.
- Turn the oven up to 400°F (200°C) and roast for another 30-35 minutes, basting twice.
- Rest for 10 minutes, then serve.
To make the Same-Day Sourdough Garlic Butter Rolls to pair with this beautiful dish, click here!
Creamy Chicken au Poivre
Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 1 whole roasting chicken, about 4.5lb
- 1 tbsp flaky sea salt
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 large shallots, finely chopped
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup dry sherry cooking wine see notes for an alcohol-free option
Equipment
- Large oven-safe baking dish
- kitchen shears (if spatchcocking the chicken yourself)
- rolling pin or mortar and pestle
- meat thermometer
Method
- Spatchcock the chicken. Cut along both sides of the backbone so the chicken lies flat in your baking dish (or ask your butcher to do this for you, which is what I did). Season the underside with half the salt, then rub the skin with the olive oil and season it with the rest. Tip: whenever I work with raw meat, I keep one hand for handling the chicken and the other hand for the salt and oil, so nothing raw ends up in the salt bowl.
- Preheat. Heat your oven to 375°F (190°C) on convection.
- Crack the peppercorns. Put them between two tea towels and give them a good bash with a mallet or rolling pin, or use a mortar and pestle. You want them broken up but NOT fine. Some big pieces are exactly what you are after.
- Make the sauce. In a mixing bowl, combine the cracked peppercorns, rosemary, garlic, shallot and 1 tsp salt. Whisk in the cream and the sherry cooking wine. Set aside.
- First roast. Roast the chicken skin side up for about 15 minutes, until it is just starting to turn golden.
- Add the sauce. Take the chicken out and pour the peppercorn cream over and around it. Turn the oven up to 400°F (200°C) and pop it back in.
- Baste and roast. Roast for another 30-35 minutes, basting the chicken with the sauce twice along the way (I set a timer for every 15 minutes). It is done when it is golden and bubbling and the thickest part of the breast reads 165°F (74°C). Your kitchen will smell AMAZING.
- Rest. Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. I serve this with my garlic butter dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and garlicky green beans (or a simple green salad if I am keeping it easy). Whatever you choose, make sure there is something there to mop up the sauce!
Notes
- Why spatchcock? Flattening the chicken means it cooks much faster and more evenly, and more of the skin gets golden.
- Use a meat thermometer. It is the easiest way to know your chicken is cooked through without cutting into it. Check the thickest part of the breast.
- Alcohol-free: Swap the sherry cooking wine for the same amount of chicken stock with a small squeeze of lemon juice.
- Smaller chicken? Start checking the temperature a little earlier in the second roast.
