Go to the Recipe: Poulet Farci (Chicken-Stuffed Roast Chicken)
Looks stunning and I’m excited to try it! Obviously gotta ask: what’s the layered potato looking thing served next to the chicken??
That’s another upcoming recipe! Potato pavé, and we’ve got a twist on it as well. Stay tuned …
This sounds insane!
it looks so crisp compared to other potato pave I've seen!
Did this for a COVID Thanksgiving in 2020 using Keller’s recipe from his TFL|Per Se cookbook (didn’t account for the larger breast needing a larger amount of mousse). Will definitely check this one out.
This is a nice upgrade from Daniel Humm's recipe IMHO. Esp w/ making use of the dark meat. Nicely done.
Thank you Todd!
It truly is what you imagine the combination of the perfect tater tot and french fry to be.
Wow, this is the stuff I love to see! So much great technique here.
Any advice for a turkey crown? What changes would you make?
Thank you Brady!
Oh man, taking it to the next level Giovanni!
For the most part all the main things I've flagged with the chicken carries over to a turkey.
Please let me know if you have any more questions if you decide to give it a try!
Thanks! I've made the Turkey Roulade, so I'm familiar with the pain of removing all the tendons lol! I assume I'd still be cooking till the internal temp registers 145f? Or does it change for turkey breast?
OH RIGHT! Because the dark meat is on the outside you can still take the breast to 145 °F.
waiting...quitely for the potato on the side recipe...haha
https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/potato-pave
Keep the classics coming!
If wanting to do this for a crowd (maybe 6 chickens) what would be the best place to hold the chicken at? Could the slow cook be done the day before? Thanks!
On a scale of 1 to Flourless Carrot Cake where does this land on the Nick G cookery-o-meter?
Here is my Dinde (turkey) Farci. While it was a hit, I would have wanted the flavor of the farce to have a bit more punch. I couldn't find the canned truffles in time, so that could account for the missing flavor. The cooking method yielded the best breast meat texture I've ever had for a turkey. Instead of the demi, I used the sauce from the that comes from the 2-hour Roast Turkey dark meat (https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/turkey-perfection-in-only-2-hours), which has amazing flavor. I made the 2-hour recipe as a backup since this was the first time making the farce. Also, don't judge my risotto! It sat too long waiting for everything else to finish, but tasted great.
Nick, the recipe says to put half of the farce into the piping bag. That seems like a lot of farce gets unused. Wouldn't it make sense to simply reduce the amount of farce made? That would save on the cost of the amount of truffle used, for example?
Hey Chris, The recipe instructs you to put half the farce in the bag at first to help with getting rid of any air pockets. It then tells you to add the rest of the farce. Hope this helps! "Transfer half of the farce to a piping bag. Shake and press farce in bag to remove air pockets. Repeat with remaining farce."
Ohhhhhhhhh. Thank you. didn't get that. While I have your attention, what is the ratio of meat to skin for the farce? Thanks!
Trying to re-ask: anyone have any tips about making a bunch of these? Can you do the low and slow cook, hold it refrigerated overnight and do the high heat right before serving? Is that the best way to do it for a crowd? I have 15 for dinner Xmas eve…it might be insane to try, but that’s why I am on ChefSteps for the challenge.
How much in advance can the farce be made? Maybe at least a day before and leave the crown to dry out overnight in the fridge?
Hi Stephen,
As the make-ahead instructions note, the farce can be made up to two days in advance: "Farce can be prepared in advance and refrigerated in a sealed piping bag for up to 2 days."
That said, I made just the farce for Thanksgiving (made into quenelles and poached, per the tip in the recipe, served with demi-glace--delicious), and I made it 4 days in advance. The farce firms up significantly as it sits, so anything longer than 2 days might make piping it difficult (and will produce a bouncier texture).
Hey Kyle, The kitchen team is a little slammed this week, but I can take a stab at this. Doing the low and slow first stage of the cook in advance isn't recommended, for two reasons: 1) Warmed over flavor, which is that off-flavor and aroma that's produced by cooked meat that oxidizes (ameliorated slightly with this recipe with the injection brine and the farce, but still a potential issue) and 2) You'd still have to bring the chilled, cooked bird back up to serving temp, before letting it rest and flashing it in the hot oven to finish--you're not saving that much time. Per the make-ahead note ("The crown can also be stuffed with farce and refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 2 days. (Reduce maximum brining time for the crown to 3 days in that case.) The farce and breast meat will begin to firm slightly."), it would probably be best to stuff the birds as far in advance as is convenient, then roast them off day of.
One part of this recipe (and our ultimate roast chicken) that you can take advantage of is the extended rest time (1.5 hrs) between the first and second stage of the cook. Just keep in mind that you really want to get the oven hot for the finish, hence the 30 minute preheat time on the oven for the final roast. (Also, prepping whatever else you can of what you're serving ahead of time would most likely help.)
Just made this and there are aspects that are sensational, especially the consistent tenderness and juiciness of the breast throughout. The use of the skin in the farce was baffling as it was quite a bit of effort for no benefit that I could detect (A better technique would be to freeze the skin and pass it through a meat grinder with the dark meat, but never mind). Personal preference, the duxelles is optically pleasing but didn't add much flavor. However, I added 1g fresh tarragon to the farce and that took it to the next level. I would recommend separating the breast skin from the breast sooner than later; it's easier when the bird is more in tact and before the skin loses its suppleness from an overnight in the fridge. I intend to try again without the damn skin and also passing the farce though a tamis. The addition of a concentrated chicken stock is more satisfying to me than the suggested powdered flavor enhancers, though I'd also consider a splash of vin jaune or something related as well. Great technique and will be tinkering with this to make it my own over the next few months!
Thanks. All makes sense.
What I love about this farce is how simple it is which is protein, corn starch and stock. In Thomas Keller's Per Se, the farce for their "Whole Bird" is as follows and I'm wondering if anyone has tried or can guess what the textural difference would be:
100% lean protein
15% egg white
2.5% potato starch
2% salt
45% cold cream
20% crème fraîche
Thank you!
can we use the ultimate umami seasoning powder instead of the mushroom duxelles?
Ah great question. Without having tried this I can't foresee a reason that you can't add umami seasoning powder to the farce in place of the duxelle for the earthy savory flavor. I might give this a try next time I make it.
Keep this in mind before adding it. Umami seasoning has salt, dried garlic, and shallots. So to figure out how much to add it's safe to assume you can omit the garlic and onion powder from the farce recipe. A good starting point for the amount of umami seasoning powder to add might be at least 10-15 grams. I would mix that in first, and poach a small ball (2 tablespoons) of face to check the flavor and adjust accordingly.
The risks you MIGHT run into with adding too much seasoning powder is over seasoning with salt, and the dried mushrooms in the seasoning will pull moisture from the farce altering the texture. But it would take a lot of umami powder for this issue to arise.
NOTE: Duxelle is added to the recipe for flavor, color, and texture. That being said you can completely omit it and have enough face to fill the bird and will taste great!
Hey Kyle, sorry to leave you hanging here. Good news for you I made 6 for a dinner so I have insider tips for you! Here is what I learned...
Recap of timing: (Working backwards timeline as an example)
6:00 pm - Serving
5:50 pm - Reheat portions
5:40 pm - Slice and brush
5:30 pm - Start final roast
2:00 pm - Chickens finish first cook
11:00 am - Chickens start first cook
With the comprehensive tutorial it was surprisingly easier than I expected. Well done gents. BTW what’s the chicken stock in the farce for? How about cream or egg whites?
Thank you Trissa! The chicken stock is added to help tenderize the farce as well as to help emulsify it (plus adds great flavor!). The cream might be a good sub. I think the safest sub and easiest would be to use water in place of the stock and add an extra 2 grams of chicken bouillon powder. I would avoid egg whites because of the flavor it will impart at this higher cook temp. They will also expand during the cook adding pressure to the skin. How did yours turn out!?
This came out GREAT!!!! Lots of fun/work to make everything but my wife thought its was the best chicken dish I ever made her. I used a heritage Poulet Rouge from North Carolina, used Chris Youngs Pressure cooked rotisserie Chicken stock and reduced it all the way to a demi with aromatics, amaretto and crown royal (its all I had). Stuffed the extra farce in Zucchini Blossoms from the farmers market. I made a Caramelized Celery root and Parsnip puree with Black Winter Truffles. added a Chive and Parsley Oil. Came out Pretty Flipping AWESOME!!! Also in the Farce I Omitted the Duxelle and added a whole Black Winter Truffle! THIS WAS THE KINDA CONTENT I SIGNED UP FOR!!!!
Make More Michelin Level Up Tutorials!
Nick thanks for sharing. I had the pleasure of meeting you when I visited Seattle and like I said there I've watched so much of your stuff over the years it felt like a Friend teaching me this classic recipe.
