This simple chicken and vegetable stew occupies a sacred place in the French heart, largely thanks to its association with King Henry, king of France from 1589-1610. During his coronation speech he said: “I want every person to have a chicken in the pot on Sundays”
From the first mouthful of the delicately savoury liquor, with its golden coins of floating fat, You Know it is going to be a bowl of pure bliss.
For this is a dish that ‘s well worth buying, a mature chicken: one which has had a chance to develop some flavour.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the stuffing
100g chicken livers
200 pork mince
100g lardons
1 egg
4 shallots, finely chopped
2 plump garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
A good grating of nutmeg
50g fresh white breadcrumbs
Salt
1 good chicken, about 2kg
900ml chicken stock
300ml White wine
2 bay leaves
3 Sprigs of thyme
6 cloves
8 shallots peeled
4 carrots cut into 5cm lengths
1 turnip cut into wedges
3 leeks cut into 5cm lengths
4 Celery sticks cut into 5cm Lengths
1 small cabbage cut into quarters
Salt and pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180⁰C
Start with the stuffing. Put the pork, bacon and chicken livers in a bowl. Add the egg, garlic, shallots, parsley breadcrumbs and sarsoning. Mix everything together. Go in with your hands.
Trim the chicken cavity. Of any excess fat and fill with the stuffing. Close up the neck and tail end with cocktail sticks.
Place the chicken in a large casserole dish and add the chicken stock, wine, shallots, bay leaves, thyme, cloves, and salt and pepper.Cover with a lid and cook for 90 minutes.
After the 90 minutes add the carrots and turnip to the chicken in the pot, immerse them in the liquid, and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the chicken from the pan and rest it on a wire rack to drain off all the juices. Return these juices to the pan, place over a moderate heat and add the leeks, celery, and cabbage, cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
While the vegetables are simmering, carve the chicken and divide between shallow bowls with the stuffing. Scoop the vegetables out of the cooking stock and add to the chicken and stuffing in the bowls. Add a generous ladle of the cooking stock.
Traditionally you serve the stock as a soup with a baguette so feel free to Serve it this way, but do keep some back for the main event.
Serve with the sauce Gribiche.
Original Recipe Joanna Harris
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