Learn Why Bresse Chicken Is the Queen of Chickens

It’s not just great wines we like to share and enjoy here at Elden Selections – it’s great food too. After all, our region is known as the stomach of France (Paris is France’s head, and Champagne her soul, or so the saying goes.) One quintessential French dish involves a very famous fowl indeed, one that is actually protected by an Appellation of Quality (AOC) mark, just as the region’s revered wines are. Maybe you’ve heard of it – it’s the Bresse chicken, in the resplendent colors of the Tricolour (red comb on its head, white feathers and blue feet) and it is bred in very special conditions in the Bresse region only. It’s therefore a rare delicacy – and one of the crown jewels of cuisine in Burgundy that we can’t wait to share with you.

Where Bresse Chicken is From?

Known as the Queen of Chickens, these fowl hail from the region around Bourg-en-Bresse in the Mâconnais region, perhaps more well-known for its fantastic Maconnais white wines (which you can explore in more detail over at our shop on BurgundyWine.com here). The charming market town of Louhans is considered the capital of the Bresse chicken-producing region. Indeed, the history of the animals here can be traced back as far as 1591, where records show them being used by the citizens of Bourg-en-Bresse to reward soldiers who fought to save their land. Then, 60 years ago, the AOC mark was granted and their status was secured.  

Slow Roasted Bresse Chicken

We have lots of recipes on our website (click here for the full recipe and instructions for Bresse chicken). Why not try her Slow Roasted Bresse Chicken in your home tonight? We’re all about making Burgundy cuisine accessible and available wherever you are; you don’t have to use a chicken reared in France, as the dish can easily be prepared using a bird you’ve bought locally, though obviously the higher quality you can get the better. Much of it can be prepared in advance, which means it’s a great choice for holidays or other special occasions, and our recipe serves six (although you could always tailor the ingredients according to the size of the party you need to feed...) The meat is brined and then roasted slowly to retain the maximum flavor possible. 

Bresse Chicken Wine Pairings

How about a wine to pair it with, you ask? Well, we suggest choosing a Monthélie wine from the Domaine Potinet-Ampeau, another of our superb “small” producers. Monthélie (pronounced ‘Mont’lie’) is a small commune in the Cote de Beaune of 200 or so residents, which produces a very large amount of wine – almost to the detriment of anything else. Funnily enough, as the local proverb has it, ‘une poule y meurt de faim durant la moisson’ – in other words, ‘a chicken would die of hunger during the harvest’, so best not get your chicken from here... The red wines of Monthélie can be velvety but quite firm, with tannins that need roasted meats, and the 1er Cru 'Champs Fulliots' is a match made in heaven.  

Better still, you can have it cooked for you and be our guest here in Burgundy. When you stay you’ll find that our kitchen is always open – come in and talk cuisine with us! You can arrange cooking sessions with our chefs and leave with fabulous recipes and techniques to dazzle your friends with back home. Some of our most popular demonstrations don’t actually happen in our main kitchen though – we do them over in our restored bread house, complete with huge wood-fired oven. You’ll learn techniques for cooking in this time-honoured way that will stay with you for the rest of your life. 

A Tradition of Honoring the Chicken

Like so many things in the world of French wine and food, the Bresse chicken is steeped in a tradition all of its own. For example, to preserve the bird you may see it wrapped in a ‘roulage’ - a sewn, white cloth or ‘vest’ which will keep it fresh for up to three weeks in a cold room. Not only does it preserve the bird, however, it also serves as a mark of respect for the animal, as does the luxurious conditions in which they are kept. They have thousands of square feet to roam in, and enjoy a diet of wheat, corn and a little milk, and as they age they are rested towards the end of their lives to allow some of the muscle to turn to fat. 

Bresse Chicken Recipes

To view recipes from the Domaine de Cromey kitchen, click here and you’ll find gastronomic delights of all shapes and sizes, to suit all palates. If you’re after some canapés, then try Burgundian Cheese Puffs (known as Gougère) or Canapé of Goat’s Cheese with Two Figs. There are starters to wow your guests with including Bresaola with Fresh Goat Cheese and Marinated Vegetables (Italian but we brought it back to Burgundy with us after a trip there!), or Cantal Cheese and Tomato Tart - a fruity cow's milk cheese coming from the Auvergne region of France. Main courses include Côte de Boeuf, and Tagliatelle with Seat Trout. And for those with a sweet tooth, we offer Fresh Apricot and Pistachio Cake, and Warm Vine Peach Soup with Irancy Wine – to name but a few!

If you’re more of a visual learner and would like to see some videos of these dishes and others being lovingly prepared, just head to our In the Kitchen with Domaine de Cromey YouTube channel.

You can also buy Ellie’s Cookbook, At Home In Burgundy by following the link.