Coucou de Malines — Print Recipe

A heritage Mechelen cuckoo chicken roasted to golden perfection, basted with butter and herbs — celebrating Belgium's finest poultry breed with its distinctive barred plumage.

Ingredients

1 whole Coucou de Malines chicken (or free-range chicken, 1.8kg)
80g unsalted butter, softened
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh tarragon
1 lemon, halved
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
200ml chicken stock
100ml dry white wine

Instructions

1 Pat chicken dry. Rub all over with softened butter, salt, and pepper. Stuff cavity with lemon halves, thyme, tarragon, and garlic.
2 Truss the chicken with kitchen string. Place breast-side up in a roasting pan.
3 Roast at 200°C (400°F) for 1 hour 15 min, basting every 20 min with pan juices.
4 When golden and the juices run clear (internal temp 74°C), rest the chicken 15 min loosely tented with foil.
5 Make jus: place roasting pan on the stove, add stock and wine, scrape up browned bits. Simmer 5 min and strain.
6 Carve and serve with the jus, roasted vegetables, and Belgian frites.

Did You Know?

The Coucou de Malines breed nearly went extinct in the 20th century and was saved by dedicated Flemish breeders in the 1980s.