Poulet rôti au thym - The Everyday French Chef

Roast chicken with thyme

This classic French dish is my go-to recipe when I want to make a tasty supper with very little effort. Chicken thighs are coated with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and thyme leaves, dotted with butter, and popped into the oven. That’s all there is to it. In 40-50 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken thighs, dinner is served.

For best results, use free-range or organic chicken. As for the thyme, leaves stripped from the branch provide the best flavor (far better than thyme from a jar). You can use dried thyme branches or pick some fresh if you have a pot on your windowsill. And here’s a hint. Use parchment paper to line your roasting pan — this makes for super-easy clean up.

Roast chicken with thyme marries well with practically anything. Serve with the veggies of your choice, with rice, pasta or lentils, with a salad, fresh tomatoes, whatever.

This recipe may also be used to roast a whole chicken. Simply double the quantities of the other ingredients and increase the roasting time to one hour.

The quantities below will serve 2 people.

2 chicken thighs
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme leaves
1 tsp. (5 g) butter

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C, gas mark 6).

Line a roasting pan with parchment paper, or lightly oil the pan on all sides. Add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and spread it around. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the oil to coat them, then flip them to sit skin-side up. Sprinkle with the salt and grind on some black pepper. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Place a dot or two of butter on each thigh.

When the oven is hot, roast the thighs until they are deep golden brown. After about 20 minutes, remove from the oven and baste. Continue cooking until done — 40 minutes for small thighs, and up to 50 for larger thighs. (You can test for doneness by inserting a fork into a thigh. If the juice runs clear, it’s done. If the juice is pink, roast a little longer.)

Serve piping hot with the side dishes of your choice. Serves 2.