Notes from Chef Chris Weber - The Herbfarm
Chef Chris Weber of The Herbfarm in Woodinville, WA has worked with and enjoyed our Poulet Bleu for years - longer than any other chef. The dishes he has created with our Poulet Bleu are sublime. Graciously, Chef Weber has shared his Poulet Bleu cooking notes and we highly recommend that everyone cooking a Poulet Bleu for the first time consider his valuable advice and insights.
“I think one of the most important things to keep in mind about the Poulet Bleu and how to work with it is that it’s just a different bird. That it’s not a one-to-one swap for standard chicken. people like to say it’s hard to work with, some things are hard to do the first time like…say…roasting a chicken. It’s about knowing some simple guidelines and parameters and then working with it from there. I do think there is a huge payoff at the end.”
Here's what we do: Cooking instructions
Breast - Either leave them on the cage and rotisserie or take them off as individual breasts. Either way, brine them (recipe to follow) For a general guideline, we like to brine the breasts for 12 hours and then cook sous-vide at 149F for 45 minutes. From there, we can finish on a grill for flavor. Or, in some cases, we will just sous vide them and not introduce too many flavors. Alternatively, you can cook them on a grill without sous vide but the trick is to balance the heat, you need a low fire that can cook them slowly.
Bones and skin - Including the wings, drumsticks, rib cages and back bones and all skin. Roast and make for stock. I think if anything, this is the hallmark of the Poulet Bleu. The stock and sauce it makes is just incredible. The skin is something that certainly needs to be addressed. It’s not the same as other chickens. I think there is a trade-off. In this case, you trade crispy skin for the gelatinous properties that it lends to stock. Like I said, this needs to be thought of as a different type of bird.
Legs - We like to bone them out, reserving the bones for the stock and brine the legs for another use. Similar to the breasts, sous-vide is a good tool for this. 175F for 8 hours is a good temp. Alternatively, a traditional braise is great for these. You have the benefit of the roasting flavor and also the introduction of heartier stocks and wine and vegetables making it a pretty rich presentation.
Brine
1 gallon water
0.75 cups salt
0.25 cups sugar
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 T toasted black peppercorns
1 head garlic, split across the equator
2 shallots, crushed