By Beleaev Family | International Caviar & Gourmet, Head Office London | beleaev.com
There's a French bistro classic called poulet rôti aux truffes. A whole chicken, roasted with truffle butter pushed under the skin, served with the pan juices. It's the dish Paul Bocuse made famous in the 1970s and it's still on his restaurant's menu in Lyon today.
The technique is straightforward. Loosen the skin from the breast and thigh. Slip discs of truffle butter underneath. Roast as you would any chicken. The truffle butter melts during cooking, basting the meat from within and giving the skin an aromatic, slightly nutty character that no plain butter can replicate.
This is a Sunday-lunch dish that really deserves the truffle. A 1.8kg corn-fed free-range chicken with 30g of truffle butter is a serious meal for 4 people. The cost works out to around £35-40 per person, which is significantly less than ordering the same dish at a London restaurant.
Key Takeaways
- Use a corn-fed free-range chicken, around 1.8kg
- Make truffle butter the day before, infusion deepens overnight
- Loosen the skin gently with fingers, don't tear it
- Roast at 200C for 75-80 minutes until juices run clear
- Rest 15 minutes before carving, this matters
The Ingredients
Serves 4
For the chicken:
- 1 corn-fed free-range chicken, around 1.8kg
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 small bunch of thyme
- 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 1 small onion, halved
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
For the truffle butter:
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 12-15g fresh black truffle, very finely grated
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- A small pinch of white pepper
For finishing:
- 6-8g fresh black truffle, for shaving at serving
- 200ml chicken stock
- 50ml dry white wine
- 1 tbsp cold butter
Buy the chicken from a proper butcher, not a supermarket. Corn-fed birds have yellower fat and richer flavour. Free-range matters: an industrially raised chicken has bland, slightly watery flesh that doesn't honour the truffle. The £18-25 you'll pay at a good butcher is worth it.
The Method, Step by Step
Step 1: Make the Truffle Butter (Day Before)
Mix the softened butter with the finely grated truffle, salt, and pepper. Roll into a small log on greaseproof paper. Refrigerate overnight. The aroma deepens significantly with rest.
Step 2: Prepare the Chicken
Take the chicken out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Pat completely dry with kitchen paper.
Carefully loosen the skin over the breast and thighs by sliding your fingers gently underneath. Don't tear it. Push your fingers from the cavity opening up over the breast, separating the skin from the flesh, then around to the legs.
Step 3: Push Truffle Butter Under the Skin
Take 60g of the truffle butter and divide into 4 portions. Push portions under the loosened skin: 2 over the breast, 1 over each thigh. Massage gently from the outside to spread the butter evenly under the skin.
Smear another 20g of truffle butter all over the outside of the skin. Reserve the remaining 20g for finishing the pan sauce.
Step 4: Stuff the Cavity
Stuff the chicken cavity with the lemon halves, thyme bunch, garlic cloves, and onion halves. These flavours infuse the meat from inside during roasting.
Tie the legs together with kitchen string to keep the cavity closed. Tuck the wing tips under the body so they don't burn.
Step 5: Season and Roast
Season the outside of the chicken with sea salt and a generous crack of black pepper.
Place breast-side up in a heavy roasting tin. Roast at 200C (180C fan) for 75-80 minutes for a 1.8kg bird. The skin should be deep golden and crisp, the juices should run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, and the leg should wobble loosely when shaken.
If the skin browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Step 6: Rest and Make the Sauce
Lift the chicken onto a warm serving platter. Rest for 15 minutes loosely covered with foil. This is essential. Don't rush.
Pour off most of the fat from the roasting tin, leaving the brown caramelised juices. Place the tin over medium heat. Add the wine and stock, scraping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Reduce by half.
Take off the heat. Whisk in the remaining 20g of truffle butter and 1 tbsp of cold butter. The sauce should be glossy and slightly thickened. Strain through a fine sieve.
Step 7: Carve and Shave Truffle
Carve the rested chicken into 8 pieces (2 breasts halved, 2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks).
Arrange on a serving platter. Spoon the truffle pan sauce over the meat. Shave 6-8g of fresh truffle directly over the platter at the table.
Serve with the sides of your choice (truffle mash, roast potatoes, or a green salad).
Tips for Getting It Right
Loosen the skin without tearing it. Use your fingers, not a knife. Push gently from the cavity opening upward. The skin should separate cleanly from the breast and thigh meat. If you tear it, the butter will leak out during cooking.
Truffle butter under the skin, not on top. Butter on top burns at roasting temperatures. Butter under the skin melts slowly during cooking, basting the meat from within and protecting the skin from drying out. The skin gets crisp on the outside while the meat stays juicy.
Don't rush the rest. 15 minutes minimum for a 1.8kg bird. The juices need to redistribute. Cutting too early loses moisture to the carving board.
Save the carcass for stock. After the meal, simmer the carcass with vegetables for 4 hours to make a beautiful chicken stock. Use it for the next risotto or soup. The truffle-infused stock is exceptional.
Don't reuse the truffle. Once shaved over the chicken at serving, the truffle aroma is gone within 5 minutes. Don't try to save shaved truffle for tomorrow's lunch.
Variations and Pairings
With caviar canapés first: Serve classic caviar platter as a starter. The salinity of the caviar opens the palate before the rich main.
With white truffle: In autumn (October-December), use white truffle instead of black. Be careful with cooking heat: white truffle is more delicate. Use 8g in the butter, 4g shaved at serving.
With sage and lemon: Add 1 tsp of finely chopped fresh sage to the truffle butter for an Italian-influenced version. The sage and truffle work well together.
Pan-roasted truffle chicken thighs: For a faster weeknight version, use 6 chicken thighs instead of a whole bird. Push truffle butter under the skin of each thigh. Roast at 200C for 35 minutes.
Wine pairing: A Burgundy from the Côte de Beaune or a Bordeaux from the Right Bank. A premier cru Chablis works for those who prefer white. Avoid light fruity reds.
For more truffle dishes, see our truffle butter recipe and truffle steak posts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the right size of chicken for truffle?
A 1.8-2kg corn-fed free-range chicken serves 4 people generously. Smaller birds (1.4kg) serve 2-3 with no leftovers. Larger birds (2.5kg+) can serve 6 but the cooking time extends to 90+ minutes and the breast meat starts to dry out before the legs are fully cooked.
Can I use a chicken breast instead of a whole bird?
Yes. For 4 chicken breasts (skin-on), use 80g of truffle butter divided across the 4 pieces, slipped under the skin. Roast at 200C for 25-30 minutes. The dish is faster but lacks the theatrical impact of a whole roasted bird arriving at the table.
Why corn-fed instead of regular chicken?
Corn-fed chickens have yellower, fattier flesh and a richer flavour. The yellow tint comes from the corn-based diet, which produces more carotenoids in the fat. Standard supermarket chickens are generally raised on grain and produce paler, blander meat. The flavour difference is noticeable, particularly with truffle.
How much truffle do I need for a whole chicken?
For a 1.8kg chicken serving 4: 12-15g in the truffle butter, plus 6-8g for shaving at serving. Total around 20g. This works out to 5g per person, which is generous for chicken (the meat is mild, so smaller truffle quantities work compared to risotto).
Further Reading
A truffle roast chicken on a Sunday lunch table is one of those dishes that elevates a familiar tradition into something properly special. Discover Beleaev's caviar collection, the elegant starter before any roast, at Périgord Black Truffle. Browse the full collection at beleaev.com.
Beleaev is an international caviar and gourmet house headquartered in London, with fulfilment hubs across the UK, Europe, the UAE, and the United States. We deliver responsibly farmed Beluga, Oscietra, Sevruga, and Kaluga caviar to customers in each region within 24 to 48 hours.
447706084493
