This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
Five hours poultry
Perhaps simplest recipe on this site, but what a result! The idea is to cook the bird, without fat, at low temperature, covered, and for a long time. In this way, the poultry cooks so as to be almost like a "confit": soft and very tasty. The effect is more spectacular with duck because it is a rather firm meat, tough even, but with this method it can be cut with a fork like a confit.
This recipe is applicable to big poultry too, it's also a response to questions like "How to cook a turkey?" or "how to cook a capon?".
This recipe is applicable to big poultry too, it's also a response to questions like "How to cook a turkey?" or "how to cook a capon?".
557 K 4.2/5 (129 reviews)
5 hours 15 min.
Easy
9.40 €
1 poultry
6 IngredientsLast modified on: January 27th 2012
For 1 poultry, you will need:
- 1
1 whole bird (chicken, duck etc.) - 2
1 bunch herbs of your choice - 3
1 bouquet garni (optional) - 4
2 cloves garlic (optional) - 5
salt - 6
pepper - Total weight: 1,810 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 15 min.
Cooking: 5 hours
All in all: 5 hours 15 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - ⌛ 1 min.
This works with all kinds of poultry: chicken of course, but also duck, guinea fowl, turkey, etc.
Salt and pepper the outside...
Salt and pepper the outside...
Stage 2
... and inside of the bird.
Stage 3 - ⌛ 1 min.
Tie herbs firmly in a small bunch, or use a bouquet garni and put inside the bird with 2 cloves garlic.
Stage 4 - ⌛ 1 min.
You can also put in half an onion or a whole shallot.
Stage 5 - ⌛ 4 min.
Put bird in a cooking bag then in a dish, or cover dish with oven plastic film (see this page for more informations on papers and bags).
Stage 6 - ⌛ 3 hours
Put in the oven at 150°C ou 302°F and forget about it for 3 hours.
Stage 7 - ⌛ 5 min.
After 3 hours, remove the lid, or remove from the cooking bag, arrange vegetables around the bird, and baste with its juices.
For the last 2 hours, leave uncovered, and baste with juices every 15 minutes (or thereabouts).
For the last 2 hours, leave uncovered, and baste with juices every 15 minutes (or thereabouts).
Stage 8 - ⌛ 2 hours
After the five hours, you can cut it up (but is it the right word when you do that with a fork?) and serve.
Tip: during the last 15 minutes it's a good idea to turn the oven up to 220°C or 428°F to really heat the meat, otherwise it gets cold very quickly at your guests' table. Do remember to heat the plates as well.
Tip: during the last 15 minutes it's a good idea to turn the oven up to 220°C or 428°F to really heat the meat, otherwise it gets cold very quickly at your guests' table. Do remember to heat the plates as well.
Stage 9
Note: This works too with roasting meats. For a joint of pork, for example, surround the meat with some sage leaves, which go very well with pork or white meats.
Remarks
This recipe is warmly dedicated to Frances Maguire, from Dublin, who kindly taught me everything about cooking in a bag.
How can such a low cooking temperature produce such soft meat? To understand that you need some molecular gastronomy. Please note that you can apply this slow cooking to many other foods.
If you have a really big bird, like a capon or turkey, you can easily go beyond 6 hours.
Vegetables cooked long and slow in the poultry juices, become deliciously moist and flavoursome ...
If your bird is so big that you have left-overs, you can make an "Express Parmentier" with it by covering a layer of meat with mashed potato and grated cheese (10 minutes under the grill), and it's very good!
How can such a low cooking temperature produce such soft meat? To understand that you need some molecular gastronomy. Please note that you can apply this slow cooking to many other foods.
If you have a really big bird, like a capon or turkey, you can easily go beyond 6 hours.
Vegetables cooked long and slow in the poultry juices, become deliciously moist and flavoursome ...
If your bird is so big that you have left-overs, you can make an "Express Parmentier" with it by covering a layer of meat with mashed potato and grated cheese (10 minutes under the grill), and it's very good!
Source: Home made, after an exciting lecture by Hervé THIS.
How much will it cost?
- For 1 poultry : 8.60 €
Change currency:
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipeSee them all 17
Julia salad
This salad takes its inspiration from the famous Caesar salad, but is simpler. The combination of chicken with croutons is a delicious way to use up leftovers.
45 K3 35 min.
Surprise bread
This recipe is for a large surprise bread so you can make six layers (48 small sandwiches if you divide each layer in 8), with three different flavours: smoked salmon/lime, smoked ham/butter, mayonnaise/chicken.
723 K 84.5 6 hours 25 min.
Crispy rolls with chicken and leek
Finely sliced leeks are cooked with a shallot, to which is added leftover chicken with a little cream and parmesan. This mixture is rolled up in filo pastry, and cooked in the oven.
249 K5 50 min.
Gratin of chicken with rice and sautéed mushrooms
This is a very simple gratin, mainly using leftovers (chicken and rice), ideal for a Sunday night supper.
64 K3.8 55 min.
Chicken Brussels pie
This is a novel twist on the well known cottage or shepherd's pie idea (minced meat topped with mashed potato). Why not try this "Brussels" pie with a mixture of mashed potato and Brussels sprouts on top of chopped chicken?
59 K5 1 hour 25 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Whole bird (chicken, duck etc.)
Like these other recipes: Hay-baked poultry, ... See them all 1
Herbs of your choice
Like these other recipes: Seafood feuillantines, Mixed tomato salad, Rice and purple-sprouting broccoli salad, Avocado "tarte fine", Fish in a salt crust, ... See them all 60
Salt
Like these other recipes: Cauliflower "moelleux" in ramekins, Cockles and cabbage with smoky cream sauce, Cream sauce with Vin Jaune, Roast pork with sage, cooked in a bag., Avocado with gravlax, ... See them all 686
Pepper
Like these other recipes: The total turnip, Ham and cheese slices with spring onions, Rice with spring greens, Upside-down Parmentier, Souda salad, ... See them all 656
Other recipes you may also like
Pistachio "Financiers"
This version of the traditional French financiers is just as moist as the original but with a delicious pistachio flavour. March 10th 201991 K3.9 35 min.
Puits d'amour
This delicious little cake's charming French name means "well of love". It is made up of layers of puff and choux pastry, assembled with a light caramel and filled with vanilla confectioner's custard. August 23th 2015137 K4.4 1 hour 45 min.
Yvetot Douillons
This dessert, named after a small town in Normandy, consists of a pear filled with confectioner's custard (French pastry cream), which is wrapped in a pancake and puff pastry, then baked. The "douillon" part of the name comes from a warm coat, the "douillette", of former times. November 26th 201492 K4.3 1 hour 3 min.
Potato wallets
These "wallets" are potatoes boiled in their skins and sliced part-way through after cooking. The slots are filled with slices of cheese and grilled bacon and the potatoes are then baked for a few minutes the oven. March 8th 201584 K4.1 1 hour 4 min.
Smoked eggs
This sophisticated, smoky flavoured starter consists of an egg yolk, heated in a bain-marie and a smoked cream mousse with a scattering of chives, served with a buttered-toast "soldier". March 15th 201581 K4.9 12 hours 30 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-02-01)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 41 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.