French-Style Chicken with a Rich Red Wine Sauce Poulet Grande Dame

The simple but delicious flavours of what the French call poulet bonne femme, or housewife’s chicken, have been elevated into a grand dinner party dish that combines robust peasant flavours with urban sophistication. A whole chicken is part braised, part roasted in stock and red wine on a bed of carrots and tiny potatoes. Before going into the oven, the bird is browned in a pan. The result is a rich brown skin and succulent, aromatic flesh imbued with the earthy flavours of all its c