Recipe: Spatchcock Poussin

Name: Spatchcock Poussin
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 beautiful farm-raised poussins (if possible) of about 17.75 oz (500 g) each; 17.75 oz (500 g) of firm-fleshed potatoes (Bintje if you can find them), peeled and cut into small dice; 7 oz (200 g) of button mushrooms (or chanterelles or porcini) well cleaned and sliced; 0.8 cup (20 cl) of tomato sauce; 1.4 oz (40 g) of breadcrumbs; 2 tablespoons of strong mustard; 1 shallot cut in half, thyme and bay leaf; 1 clove of garlic, deveined and lightly crushed; Butter and oil (or duck fat); Salt and freshly ground pepper and a pinch of Espelette pepper powder

By chef patrick Asfaux 4.2/5 (6 reviews) · 🍳 13 made it

Recipe Spatchcock Poussin - Chef Patrick Asfaux — Photo: Aftouch-cuisine

Prep 20 min

Cook 30 min

Total 50 min

Servings 4 serv.

A simple, original and tasty recipe that will please the whole family. Farm-raised spatchcock poussins are birds flattened and roasted whole, then coated with mustard. Plan for 30 minutes of cooking time. The side dish of sautéed potatoes and mushrooms changes each time depending on what you find at the market.

Ingredients for 4 servings

Adjust for

servings

2 beautiful farm-raised poussins (if possible) of about 17.75 oz (500 g) each
17.75 oz (500 g) of firm-fleshed potatoes (Bintje if you can find them), peeled and cut into small dice
7 oz (200 g) of button mushrooms (or chanterelles or porcini) well cleaned and sliced
0.8 cup (20 cl) of tomato sauce
1.4 oz (40 g) of breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of strong mustard
1 shallot cut in half, thyme and bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, deveined and lightly crushed
Butter and oil (or duck fat)
Salt and freshly ground pepper and a pinch of Espelette pepper powder

Step-by-step directions

1 Preheat your oven to 410°F (210 °C) (400 °F).

2 On your work surface with a large knife, open the poussins along the back. Then remove the backbone from each side, flatten them and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3 Place them flat in a baking pan, salt and pepper the top, drizzle with a little oil and add a few knobs of butter. Around them, place your shallot cut in half and some thyme and bay leaf, then place your pan in the oven at mid-height. Cooking time: 30 minutes. After 10 minutes, add 0.4 cup (10 cl) of water to the pan. Using a spoon, baste your poussins every 5 minutes with the cooking juices. After 20 minutes of cooking, remove the pan and, using a brush, coat them with mustard and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, then finish cooking in the oven for the remaining 10 minutes.

While your poussins are cooking, prepare the garnish:

4 Put your potatoes cut into small dice into a pot and cover with cold water to the same level. Bring to a boil, hold for 2 minutes, then drain them (blanch).

5 In a frying pan, heat some oil and a knob of butter (or duck fat), add your potatoes and start browning them. Then add your mushrooms, lower the heat and add the lightly crushed garlic clove. Salt and cook for about ten minutes, then remove from the heat and cover the pan.

6 Finishing: give your potatoes another turn in the pan. Heat your tomato coulis by adding a pinch of Espelette pepper powder. Cut your poussins in half down the center and serve on plates with the potatoes molded into a small circle on one side and the sauce on the side.

A chef's advice

Normally this classic recipe is prepared with "Straw" potatoes and a "Diable" sauce (for which I would provide the recipe on the site). But since I had made a lot of tomato coulis in advance, this dish worked very well with it too.

I remember that a long time ago a Picard chef made this recipe very well, his name was Chef Alexandre. You can also, using the same principle, do the same thing with chicken legs, you would just need to cook them a few minutes longer in the oven.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use mild mustard instead of strong mustard?

Technically yes, but you lose the contrast effect. Strong mustard creates a bold crust under the breadcrumb coating. With mild, the dish becomes flat. Stick with strong mustard, that's the classic trap with this recipe.

How do I store leftovers?

Keep the coquelets 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat at 160°C wrapped in foil for 10 minutes. Same for the sautéed potatoes, 3 days max. Don't freeze, the breadcrumb coating gets soggy when thawed.

How do I properly baste the coquelets during cooking?

Use a tablespoon to pour the pan juices over the bird every 5 minutes after the first 10 minutes of cooking. This is what makes the meat tender. If you forget to baste, it dries out. You don't need fancy equipment, a simple spoon does the job.