I like the idea of baking a whole chicken slowly with the lid on. Sounds like it would end up very moist. Up to now I've always roasted mine open on a high heat. Will need to invest in a large cast-iron cocotte before trying this. Great photo, too.

Qu'il est appétissant! :-)

I feel that cooking a whole chicken (or turkey for that matter) is one of those culinary rites of passage every home cook must eventually face. I've felt it looming on my horizon for some time now, and I think this recipe might have just pushed me into the 'no turning back' phase. Wish me luck!

P.S. Given the low heat and long cooking time, I feel this recipe could be perfectly adapted to be done in a slow cooker. Pas si romantique, peut etre, but good for us 9-5 working gals who love coming home to the smell of roasted chicken!

I happen to own a beautiful old Römertopf, never used since it lives in my house, this might be the perfect recipe to start using it. It sounds, and looks, very beautiful and yummie.
Thanks!

Hehehe..."chicken education", is there a "No chick left behind" policy?

YUMMM!

We roast a lot of chickens, usually on Sundays, and usually stuffed. This summer though even gave us the opportunity to barbecue a few chickens (and ducks for that matter), where we stuffed them with lemon.

I look forward to trying this out in big le creuset this weekend. Thanks!

I actually have a smaller-size Romertopf that my boyfriend's mother gave me just about a year ago, when I finally started cooking on my own... (I'm a late bloomer!) She was German... She told me how easy and convenient it was to use, and how it would maintain the moisture so well. I've used it numerous times since then, although most of the time I cook the chicken or pintade (which are lovely in this dish as well!) for about an hour on a higher temperature. This slow-cooking process sounds even better, and what wonderful, classic, delicious-sounding ingredients to add: fresh rosemary and thyme, and of course delicious garlic cloves! I can't wait to try this!

Wow, just reading this recipe and about your visit to the countryside makes me warm and fuzzy!

I think roasted chicken is the ultimate comfort food. Love it, no matter how it's made - even the $5.99 variety from the corner supermarket. I wanted one this weekend, but we are out of my favorite mustard and a roast chicken is not a roast chicken without a nice sharp mustard to go with it!

Thanks for sharing!

This looks fabulous! And I had never even thought of buying a clay pot! What a wonderful (and frugal) alternative to the Le Creuset stuff I have been coveting but can't make myself buy....

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......

Looks great. How did the skin turn out? A good crisp skin is my favorite part of a roast chicken. Did the skin crisp even at such a low temperature?

Argh, to be living in France and having the joys of the perfect free-range chicken. It almost makes me want to run away from home and join a roving troupe of French performers or something.

clotilde,
do you put anything inside the chicken? (ie stuff it with more cloves of garlic and lemon?) and is there any use for the chicken innards?
looks delicious! i am anxious to try it!

That is QUITE beautiful.

So, a question:

if given the choice between a clay oven (the more economical choice) and a cocotte (stellar, I'm sure, but more expensive) for roasting things such as chickens, etc, which would you choose and why? Does one yield better results over the other or have an advantage?

Maybe I'll try it in my trusty Lodge dutch oven. Or is that a bad idea?

The name of this recipe is absolutely charming--no complaints here! The ingredient list sounds very much like my simple roast chicken, but the method is wonderful and must certainly result in a very succulent bird. I will try this, and I hope I can find a very good quality chicken although it will certainly not be as fresh as Muriel's!

I love my well-used Römertopf. But, surely, Muriel soaked bottom and lid in water for at least 15 minutes before she put the chicken in. Part of what makes it so effective is that the steam that the moist, porous clay gives off in the initial phase helps enhance the moisture of the cooked food.

It's also wonderful for bread for exactly the same reason.

I should add that she may well have removed the lid for the final 15 minutes or so of cooking so that the direct heat could brown the skin attractively.

I made a roast chicken this week-end without a special pot and it was really great. It is just hard to beat the flavor. I stuffed some garlic cloves inside the chicken, put quartered onions around it and then poured in about 1/2 cup of wine. It made the best sauce. Add mashed potatoes and you have heaven on a plate. However, I think I will keep my eyes opened for one of those pots.

Ooooh that looks so good Clotilde !I too, just roasted a chicken this weekend. I set it at 350 F covered for 1 1/2 hours and 400 for the remain 1/2 hour and it was literally falling apart. I poured saffron-infused water around it and stuffed it with garlic cloves and onions. I salted it overnight thoug. I just featured it on my blog. I do want to try the Muriel recipe with a clay pot... I think I'm going to be buying the Romertopf .

Made almost this same recipe in a newly-acquired Romertopf last weekend--but used a pork shoulder roast instead of the chicken, seared it a bit first, and added some chicken stock and white wine to the pot before cooking. Herbs and garlic were same.

Great results; I'm looking forward to trying it with chicken.

I usually stuff my chicken with halves of an onion, a couple carrots, and some celery before putting it in my Romertopf. Might impart some different flavors than Muriel's recipe, but the flavors are divine. I have also put sweet or white potatoes, halved, around the chicken, if the bird is small enough to accommodate them. The vegetable stuffings also serve to keep the breast of the bird from caving in. In any case, I plan to try this recipe soon!

Your mention of "naming a recipe after someone" made me think of my first Tarte Tatin (named after les soeurs Tatin) and the story of that fragrant chicken made me want to forage for the leftover bird in the fridge -- these stories are too, too addictive

The melding of observation and memory--perfect in the replication of a delicious dish from a special place. Your recipe and reflections on the presentation of it activate my recollections chicken dishes learned at the table of others...they also activate my salivary glands...truly the mark of a good story!

Meilleurs vÂœux!

Everyone please note to always soak your Römertopf dish in cold water before putting it in the oven! This makes the chicken extra moist and juicy!
Bon appetit!

Oh my what a relief, I thought you were going to say the chicken was grown by Muriel!

clay versus cast iron the n=benefit of cast iron it can go on the stove or in the oven but if you are looking for some clay po try la verrie des halles rue du louvre 75001across from dehillerin (see archives).chicken on the spit is great too.

As long as I can remember my mother always made Roasted Chicken every Sunday. Now that I am married I cook chicken on Sundays. I love it.

Thanks for reminding me of the virtues of cooking in the Romertopf! I had forgotten all about the thing. I'll make this soon!

The low temperature is ingenious - patience required, but the result is phenomenal.

Clotilde,

Wow, this chicken looks as amazing as you've described it. We've got free-range chickens in the States, but definitely nothing compared to what you've got there (oh, mais oui!) I also really like the simplicity of the lemon and garlic... perfect.

I'm curious, though, mainly about the skin. I know when it's oven-roasted open with a high heat in the beginning, the skin becomes crispy and the inside moist. Did you eat the skin on this one and is that "done" in France, in general? I know most Americans hate the idea of eating the skin of anything.

Cookbook writing guidelines? Who knew there was such a thing. And that they were so wrong! I love recipes named after someone, from a good friend's "Gramma's dessert" to my own "Martha Stewart's Mac N Cheese". =)

I know what you mean venitha, I say give credit where credit is due which is what I'm going to do once I post my boss' mother-in-law's recipe called "Mrs. Bailey's Potroast"

I recently learned that many of the great French dishes were named after individuals, including Sauce Bechamel and Peach Melba. So, by honoring Muriel, you are carrying on a venerable culinary tradition!

http://culinarytypes.blogspot.com

Your experience in the countryside sounds magical... this California girl has GOT to get to Paris one day!

Have you asked Muriel about naming the dish after her? I bet she doesn't mind:)

I have had the interesting pleasure of friends naming my creations for me... which, can make one feel very silly sometimes.

Keep up the great blogging and congrats on 3 years!

whata beauty!

That does look yummy. Although I like starting my chicken hot to get the skin browned (I also brine though). I also think a good Dutch oven would work as well, although it wouldn't have the bumps on the lid.

It sounds delicious, but I'm not sure I'm grown up enough yet to try roasting an entire chicken.

Well, my mother-in-law gives me her Romertopf, but my oven is too small ! If you want, I can lend it to you, if you want to make further experiments...

Only the garlic and the herbs from my garden were organic, when I used this receipe to cook a supermarket half turkey breast. It was quite quite delectable. Used my old enamlled iron pot. It took about two hours to cook weighing nearly 1 kilo. One thing I will do differently is to peel the lemon, as there was a slight bitter taste to the juice.

This is amazing! My mother, who passed away in April this year, was called Muriel.

A few days ago I was in a restaurant and there was a wine on the wine list called Muriel. Now I have a chicken recipe to go with it.

Thanks, I enjoy your blog very much

Liz

I think it's hard to ruin chicken if the raw chicken itself is good quality. Chicken completely unadorned, thrown in a hot oven or even a slow oven, will come out all right if you know how to judge when it is done. It is very elementary cooking and elementary taste. That said, I think this recipe for chicken will be Yummy simply if you use a clay pot. I have a few (they always turn up at yard sales) and they make a moist and tender meat every time! Lamb hot pot is something that really surprised me - just lamb, onion, potatoes and some salt and pepper - cooked in a clay pot, it is delicious.

I've read your blog for a long time now and have wanted to try many of the recipes you've posted, but for some reason I haven't (too much the armchair cook?). Well, today I made this chicken recipe in my 5-qt. Le Creuset covered casserole. I didn't have a whole head of garlic on hand, so I cut up three small onions instead. Otherwise I did as told, and the result was fantastic. I've never thought to make a whole chicken this way--it's the same concept as preparing osso buco or braised lamb shanks, i.e., cooking a long time in the oven at a low temperature. The texture of the meat has the same silky quality, and I love that because the pot stays covered, cleanup is minimal (vs. roasting a chicken). Thanks for sharing this brilliant idea! I can't wait to make it again.

I'd like to suggest some minor variation: before rubbing your chicken with olive oil, try mixing a few drops (a teaspoonfull) of "pastis" with the oil...it takes you from Perche straight down to Provence.

^ jean-Louis -- funny you should mention the addition of alcohol. On impulse I decided the chicken needed a splash of Cointreau, even though Clotilde's simple ingredients are the same as the ones I employ when I roast a chicken.

My 'Muriel' turned out exceptionally well (cooked for two hours in a glass casserole dish, sealed with foil).

I reheated the leftovers by putting the whole thing back in the oven. But I detected a strong and bitter presence of the lemon rind that was not there previously. I strenuously recommend removing the lemon pieces before reheating.

This was the first time I had ever slow-baked a chicken and I was thrilled with the results. Clotilde, I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to the publication of your cookbook next year.

p.s. To Jackie in SF -- I, too, am a long-time reader, first-time poster! I figure if this one worked so phenomenally well, the other recipes surely will also!

To Max Million in LA: I've made the recipe two more times now. On the third try, I didn't have a lemon on hand, so I left it out. After degreasing the sauce, I found that it could be used to flavor other things I cooked because it didn't have the bitterness from the lemon (I kept the jelly in a jar and used it over a few days). I had considered adding some white wine, so next time I make this dish I will do that or, as you did, try Cointreau. Fun to experiment, isn't it? :-)

I'm going spelunking in one of my deep cupboards today to unearth my Romertopf and will make this roast chicken, thanks to your wonderfully inspiring and appetizing post!

Will try chicken a la Muriel this weekend. Looks great.
Have you guys ever tried spatchcocked chicken? That's chicken flattened out (backbone removed),marinated in olive oil,lemon juice and herbs,roasted breast side up in open pan at 400 degrees (F) for one hour. Crisp skin, Juicy body,simply yums.

I made this last night - it was delicious! My whole family loved it! Thank you for such a great recipe.

Chere Clotilde!

Last saturday i wrestled myself through IKEA and stumbled over a Romertopf. And somehow i remembered you wrote something about chicken in a romertopf and about you not having one. Maybe you don't want to spend a fortune on it (cause in my case it a typical use once or twice and bury it in a cupboard kinda item ;-) ) and don't want to wait until your next trip to the Alsace, so this might come in handy!

Keep up the good work and can't wait to have your book delivered!

Job

I'm not quite yet adventurous enough to try the clay pot option, but am instead considering investing in a cast iron cocotte. Should a 5 quart size be sufficient?

Hi Clotilde,
I just made this Poulet de Muriel for the first time. Absolutely awesome. My husband demanded I write and tell you it is indisputably the best chicken he has tasted in his life (long compared to yours). He dislikes eating chicken because he appreciates so much the live chickens at the barn where he rides his horse. But this one was clearly worth the sacrifice. I agree. Thank you for a lovely dish! --A California fan

Speaking of dusty old family recipe books, check out this one...

CANDELARIA'S COOKBOOK. A scruffy folder, faintly typed and badly eaten by mice, was discovered in the bottom drawer of an ancient roll-top desk in a house on Lake Chapala.

It turned out to be a collection of recipes, lovingly transcribed sixty years ago by an English writer, Dane Chandos, from the gnomic utterances of Candelaria, his Mexican cook.
http://www.mexconnect.com/amex/chandos/index.html