Literally named “chicken in a pot,” poule au pot is a traditional Sunday dinner in France. This rustic yet healthy dish consists of a whole chicken cooked with vegetables in a flavorful broth (no store-bought stock needed). For such a simple recipe, the result is an incredibly flavorful dish, with fall-off-the-bone chicken guaranteed every time.

Poule au pot is a specialty hailing from the southern French Pyrénées Mountains, but it’s embraced throughout the entire country. Alongside boeuf bourguignon and coq au vin, it’s one of the most iconic recipes of French country cooking.

The origin of this recipe is linked to France’s King Henry IV (1553–1610), who was born in the Château de Pau, in Béarn. The story goes that the king democratized and established the poule au pot as France’s national dish in the 17th century, in response to the terrible famines caused by the long-lasting religious wars between the Huguenot Protestants and the Catholics. The rumor states that he declared to his minister, Maximilien de Béthune (duc de Sully), “If God gives me more life, I will ensure there won’t be a plowman in my kingdom who does not have the means to enjoy a poule au pot on Sundays.”

The dish has remained in the minds of French people as a humble, convivial meal that’s meant to unify and please everyone.

Traditionally, poule au pot is made with a “poule” (a stewing hen). The use of this larger poultry yields a richer, more complex-tasting dish. But since stewing hens have become harder to find and more expensive nowadays, the recipe is now almost exclusively made with chicken.

Many agree that poule au pot is in fact one of the easiest ways to cook a chicken. It requires little skill and preparation and guarantees a juicy, perfectly tender chicken flavored by a fragrant vegetable broth. Since the whole chicken cooks in broth for a long time, it’s indeed almost impossible to mess up.

That said, here are a few extra tips to build even more delicious flavors in this simple dish:

Poule au pot is a very simple dish that takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes to cook. It’s thus a dish best made on weekends when you can devote a few hours to being home and pop your head into the kitchen occasionally to check on the pot.

Poule au pot is traditionally served on its own or poured atop a bed of cooked white rice. Any leftovers? Discard the bones, shred the chicken, dice up the vegetables, and add noodles to the broth to make a comforting chicken noodle soup.

Poule au pot can be made and refrigerated for three to four days and frozen for up to three months.

Serves 4

One hour before cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge and place it on the countertop to allow it to lose its chill.

Prepare your vegetables. Take your onion and poke the cloves (the spice) into its flesh, using the sharp end of the clove. Peel the garlic cloves. Cut the leek and celery into 3 pieces each. Peel and halve the carrots. Halve the turnips. Set aside.

Place the chicken into a pot that is large enough to contain the chicken, a good amount of water, and the vegetables that will be added later.

Fill the pot with enough water to cover the top of the chicken’s breast. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once the water starts simmering, you should notice some yellow-brown foam rising to the top of the pot. Using a spoon or ladle, skim this foam and dispose of it. When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium and add the vegetables, herbs, and spices. Turn the heat back up to high to reboil.

Continue to skim any foam that may appear. The foam will stop forming after a few minutes.

Once the entire pot comes back to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 2 hours and 30 minutes, undisturbed.

After the time mark, taste the broth and adjust the seasoning if needed. The chicken should now be fully tender and almost falling apart. Turn off the stove and carefully remove the chicken from the pot onto a plate. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

Once slightly cooled, cut the chicken into pieces and transfer onto serving plates. Place a few vegetables around the chicken and pour the broth over the top.

Enjoy as is or with cooked white rice, fresh country bread, or both.