A Sunday in Brittany: Butter, Roast Chicken, and the Stories We Share

This week, I’m opening my kitchen to Audrey Le Goff, a fellow food writer from Brittany, France, who brings us a beloved family recipe: her herb-butter roast chicken.

Hello, I’m back. Thank you for your patience with me, it has been a challenging beginning of the month. But more on this on a next newsletter.

Today, I’m delighted to share this space with Audrey Le Goff—a French-born and bred culinary writer, recipe developer, and the author of Rustic French Cooking Made Easy. I first fell for her charming recipes and evocative storytelling through her Instagram page, @pardonyourfrench, and then got to know her even better through her newsletter, A Table in France, launched in 2024. A Table in France is a warm invitation into her weekly life in Brittany, where she shares everyday recipes, kitchen stories, and even travel notes from her coastal walks and seasonal markets. As she beautifully puts it in her About section:

My passion is to share seasonal and uncomplicated recipes, mostly comforting, made for the curious home cook - and that go beyond Paris and the fussy clichés.

To me, this truly captures the essence of her cooking, and it’s what makes her work so special. It also resonates deeply with my own approach, as I, too, try to offer a more authentic path to the heart of Italian cuisine, one that goes beyond cannoli, pizza, and spaghetti (though let’s be honest, when made properly, those are absolutely worth celebrating too).

So, before I hand things over to Audrey, do make sure to subscribe to her lovely newsletter: it’s brimming with delicious, authentic French recipes and the kind of heartfelt storytelling that makes you want to head straight to the kitchen. Stay tuned for my take on Sunday chicken on Audrey’s newsletter on Saturday, too!

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Bonjour everyone! I’m so happy to be here with you today to share a taste of rustic and true French cooking – specifically, one of my most beloved family recipes from Brittany. My name is Audrey Le Goff, and I’m a born-and-bred Breton cook, food writer and cookbook author. I live in beautiful seaside Brittany - that windswept, magical corner of northwestern France. Now, if you’re not too familiar with the cuisine of Brittany (or Bretagne, as it’s known here), you’re not alone. Many of our traditional dishes remain little-known outside French borders. You might have heard of crêpes or kouign-amann, but there's so much more here to discover. I hope this recipe, and the story behind it, will spark your curiosity… and maybe even tempt you into the kitchen!

Brittany is a region rich in history and deeply rooted in peasant traditions, and that spirit shines through in our cooking. No fancy techniques, nor elaborate creations – it is a far cry from the elegant, complex cuisine people often think of as French cuisine. It’s a bit like Tuscany in that sense: hearty, humble dishes made with love and whatever is fresh and local. In Brittany, that means lots of buckwheat, seafood, apples - and above all, butter. We’re renowned, and very proud of our local butter.

Which brings me to today’s recipe: a rustic roast chicken from Brittany, where butter isn’t just an ingredient—it’s the star ingredient!

The Sunday Chicken Roast, à la Bretonne

Like in many parts of the world, the Sunday roast is a cherished tradition in France. I’m sure just like you, the scent of chicken roasting in the oven always brings back memories of lazy Sunday afternoons with family gathered around the table.

Historically, this tradition goes all the way back to King Henry IV, who famously declared that every French peasant should have "a chicken in the pot" on Sundays. That original Poule au Pot (a kind of chicken stew) has, over time, evolved into the beloved Poulet Rôti—a whole roasted chicken served proudly in the center of the table. And today, we may be famous in France for dishes like Coq au Vin, Chicken Marengo, and Fricassée de Volaille, but ask any French family—mine included (my husband, my parents, even our dog Sophie!)— nothing says comfort and togetherness quite like a well-roasted chicken.

So, what makes a Breton Roast Chicken different?

In a word: butter.

Not just any butter, but an herb-packed butter (known as “beurre contisé”) slipped gently under the skin of the chicken before roasting. As it cooks, this flavorful butter slowly melts into the meat, keeping it juicy and tender, and creating the most mouthwatering aroma that fills your entire home.

This is the roast chicken I grew up with here in Brittany, where Sunday lunch was sacred, and the smell of buttery roast chicken in the oven was the parfum of my childhood. I still remember as a kid, sneaking into the kitchen to join my mom and having a peek at the golden bird crisping up, skin and butter sizzling proudly.

A little story from my home in Southern Brittany

Speaking of which, I can’t help but share this little anecdote with you here, to show just how far we Bretons go with our love of butter.

There’s a farmer in Gestel - a small town in southern Brittany just 20 minutes from my home - who’s become somewhat of a local legend. He feeds his chickens scraps of gâteau Breton and kouign-amann (yes, the buttery pastries!) and works closely with Michelin-starred chefs. His chickens are so richly flavored that they practically taste like they’ve already been butter-basted before roasting! To me, that story captures the essence of Brittany cooking: local, resourceful, and always generous with flavor.

If you ever visit Southern Brittany, make sure you go taste his chickens, they are unbelievably delicious. Like I said, we’re butter-fanatics here!

French butter – and what is a “Beurre Contisé”

Now that you know our secret weapon, let’s talk butter. In Brittany, no roast chicken is made without it. Every family in Brittany has their own twist on this chicken recipe - stuffing the chicken with a lemon or two, some garlic cloves, a few more herbs… But one thing remains constant: we never skip the butter, and we choose it carefully.

Being a food writer and cook here in Brittany, I go through a lot of butter! And I can tell you that using good-quality French butter really makes a difference. French butter typically has at least 82% butterfat, compared to about 80% in American or British butters. That higher fat content means it’s richer, creamier, and less watery. Many French butters are also cultured, giving them a subtle tang and complexity. In Brittany, we love our demi-sel (lightly salted) butter, while the rest of France often uses doux (unsalted). Both work in this recipe, but as a proud Breton cook, I always reach for the salted variety. It brings out the best in the herbs and chicken skin.

With this beautiful French butter, we’re making beurre contisé—a classic French preparation where softened butter is studded with aromatics like herbs, spices, and citrus zest. The term contiser doesn’t translate cleanly into English (trust the French to have a dedicated verb for a butter technique!), but it loosely means “embedded” or “infused.”

For my roast chicken, I make a beurre contisé with fresh parsley and chives, minced shallot, lemon zest, cracked black pepper, and a generous pinch of our local sea salt. The result is a vibrant, herbaceous butter, reminiscent of the flavors in French escargot or the compound butters served on steaks in Parisian bistros.

This flavorful butter is then gently tucked under the skin of poultry, infusing the meat as it roasts. Think of it as a little flavor massage from the inside out.

A Crapaudine Chicken (Spatchcock Style)

Because this Breton roast chicken is so generously smeared with butter, I recommend using a spatchcocked chicken—or poulet en crapaudine, as we say in French. This simply means the backbone is removed so the chicken can be flattened before roasting. Ask your butcher to spatchcock your chicken if you’re not comfortable doing it on your own. It resembles a toad (crapaud) when laid out—hence the name!

Spatchcocking has several advantages. It cooks faster—about 25 to 30% quicker than a whole bird—since the heat reaches everything more evenly. It also gives you beautifully crisp skin across the entire surface.

Most importantly, it allows the herbed butter to really soak into the meat. With the skin loosened and the chicken flattened, it's much easier to slide that parsley butter underneath and infuse the bird with flavor.

As a rule, cook your chicken for 15 to 20 minutes per pound. Fifteen minutes will give you a juicy roast, while 18–20 minutes gets you deeper color and crispier skin, which is my personal favorite. For this recipe, I used a 4-pound chicken and roasted it for 1 hour and 20 minutes. It came out absolutely delicious: juicy on the inside, crisp on the outside, and full of that buttery, herby flavor that defines a true Breton roast.

So next time you’re planning a Sunday roast, why not give it a Breton twist? Bring out the butter, gather your family, and let the magic of beurre contisé turn a simple chicken into something truly special.

Bon appétit!

The recipe

For 6 people

Ingredients:

• 1 (4-pound/1.8kg) whole chicken, free-range

• Salt and pepper, for seasoning

For the herbed butter:

• 1 stick (4oz/113g) butter (salted or unsalted)

• ½ bunch fresh chives

• ½ bunch fresh parsley (curly or flat)

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

• 1 small shallot, peeled and minced

• 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon zest + lemon rounds for garnish

• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Prepare the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel to remove any excess moisture; this will help ensure the bird gets a nice crispy skin when roasting. I like to allow the bird to come close to room temperature before roasting.

2. Prepare the herbed butter. Leave the butter on the counter for two hours or until very soft. Meanwhile, peel and finely dice the shallot, stem and finely chop the parsley and chives. Zest and chop the lemon until you get about ½ tablespoon’s worth. Put the softened butter in a shallow plate. Using a fork, mash it roughly. Add the shallot, herbs, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Mash it all together until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt, pepper) if needed.

3. Place the chicken in a 9×13-inch (22.9x33cm) roasting pan and tuck the wings under the body. Generously season the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper.

4. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190C), or 350°F (180°C) with a fan/convection.

5. Gently lift the breast skin of the bird using the tip of your finger and, using your fingers, insert small dollops of the herbed butter under the skin spreading it evenly atop each breast and the legs. I like to use my index finger at first, and then a chopstick or the back side of a spoon to help me lift the skin, being careful to take my time so as to not tear it. This will seem like a lot of butter, this is normal. Once the butter is in place, season the outside of the chicken with a little more salt and pepper.

6. Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes per pound (60 to 80 minutes for this 4-pound bird) or until the juices run clear when you make a little cut between the thigh and leg.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes. This allows all the heat and juices redistribute evenly throughout the meat.

8. Carve and serve.