The Coucou de Rennes is the city's own barred grey-and-white chicken breed, slow-grown and firm-fleshed, saved from extinction in the 1980s and now a fixture on Rennes menus.

The breed was standardised around Rennes in the nineteenth century and was the dominant table bird of Ille-et-Vilaine before industrial poultry displaced it. By the late 1980s the population had collapsed to a handful of birds, and a conservation programme run through the Écomusée du Pays de Rennes rebuilt it from that remnant. Coucou birds take five to six months to reach table weight against six weeks for a commercial broiler, which gives the meat a denser grain and a much stronger flavour, and makes it expensive. It now appears on Rennes bistro menus as a marker of local sourcing, usually roasted whole, grilled over wood or braised long enough to soften the working muscle.

Where to eat Coucou de Rennes in Rennes

3 editor picks for Coucou de Rennes in Rennes, ranked by editorial score. All Rennes signature dishes · Coucou de Rennes across every city.

  • Jozy

    Order Barbecued Coucou de Rennes chicken, the local heritage breed

    Jozy is a bistro and natural wine bar on Rue Vasselot in Rennes, chef Noé Viviès grilling Coucou de Rennes chicken behind a hundred-bottle cellar.

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  • Coquille

    Order The seasonal fish of the day from Breton ports

    Coquille is Arnaud Guilloux's locavore bistro on Rue Nantaise in Rennes, generous seasonal cooking from Breton producers with a second room in Cesson-Sévigné.

    DetailsBookDirections

  • Fezi

    Order Hake in squid-ink tempura with braised leeks

    Fezi is Cédric Bruneau's organic bistro on Avenue Sergent Maginot in Rennes, a locavore kitchen with sommelier William Nogris pouring natural bottles.

    DetailsDirections

Make it at home

Serves 42 hr 30 minIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 free-range slow-grown chicken, about 2kg
  • 60g salted butter, softened
  • 2 shallots, halved
  • 1 head of garlic, halved across
  • 3 sprigs thyme
  • 200ml dry Breton cider
  • 200ml chicken stock
  • 100ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp old-style mustard
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Salt the bird inside and out and leave uncovered in the fridge overnight. Bring to room temperature an hour before cooking.
  2. Rub the butter under and over the skin, season, and put the shallots, garlic and thyme in the cavity.
  3. Roast at 220C for 20 minutes, then drop to 170C, pour the cider into the tin and roast a further 80 to 90 minutes, basting every 20, until the juices at the thigh run clear.
  4. Rest the bird on a warm board for 20 minutes. A slow-grown bird needs a long rest.
  5. Skim the fat from the tin, add the stock and reduce by half on the hob, scraping the tin.
  6. Stir in the cream and mustard, simmer two minutes, season and pour into a jug. Carve and serve with the sauce.

Editor tip. A slow-grown bird is not a supermarket chicken with a longer cook: it is leaner and firmer, so the overnight salting and the 20-minute rest do most of the work.