Poulet Antiboise - A Timeless Classic from the 1950s

Experience the rustic elegance of Poulet Antiboise, a French-inspired chicken dish celebrated for its simplicity and depth of flavour. Originally introduced to British home kitchens by the legendary Elizabeth David in the 1950s and later popularised by Rowley Leigh, this recipe captures the essence of slow-cooked onions, fragrant thyme, and tender, juicy chicken. Perfect for a cosy meal with family and friends.

0:00 - What Is Poulet Antiboise
0:27 - Slicing the Onions
1:28 - Adding (An Reduced Amount of) Olive Oil
2:03 - Adding the Chicken
2:30 - Chicken Comes Out
3:12 - Skimming Off the Excess Fat
3:33 - Adding More Brightness
4:00 - Carving the Chicken
4:49 - Finishing with Black Olives

When I first came across the recipe from Rowley Leigh’s column in the Financial Times, I thought it was an old school French dish from Antibes. After all, Mr Leigh came from the era where fine dining in London meant classic French cooking. After a bit of research, I realised that this most likely does not exist in France, but was a creation introduced to Britain by the legendary Elizabeth David in her debut cookbook - A Book of Mediterranean Food - in 1950.

Like with many old school recipes, I was tempted to ‘improve’ it somehow with modern scientific touches. For instance, I thought about separating the bird and adding the chicken breast only in the last 30 minutes of cooking. But then I realised the brilliance of the dish is its simplicity. There is very little active cooking time, besides the slicing of some onions (you can even speed that up using a Japanese mandoline). It showcases the wonderful taste of the chicken, which is why Mr Leigh insisted both in his article and his cookbook that you must use a really good chicken. The only tweak I sneaked in was the addition of a bit of olive brine at the end to further brighten the dish.

Ingredients
1 good quality whole chicken - about 2kg
Onions - 1 kg
Olive oil - 100ml
Salt
Black Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Thyme
Black Olives - stoned

Directions
1. If possible, 6 hours or up to 3 days before cooking, salt the chicken with 0.6% salt to its weight. Otherwise, salt season the bird with salt and pepper just before cooking.
2. Slice the onions crosswise thinly and add them to a deep casserole dish. Season with a bit of salt, black pepper, and a dash of cayenne pepper to taste. Add the olive oil and mix thoroughly. Add a few sprigs of thyme.
3. Add the chicken on top. Cover with lid and cook in a preheated oven at 170°C (338°F) for 90 minutes, then let it rest outside the oven for at least 10 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken to rest and skim out most of the fat from the cooking liquid. Discard the thyme and add the onions and the cooking liquid to a large serving dish.
5. Carve the chicken into pieces and add them on top of the onions.
6. Scatter the olives on top.

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