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Stuffed Chicken Simmered With Meat And Vegetables
(Poule-au-pot)
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| What You Need: |
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THE STUFING
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup finely chopped onions
¾ cup plain white raw rice
1½ cups hot chicken stock, fresh or canned
½ pound fresh breakfast-type pork sausage meat
2 chicken livers
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
½ teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
¼ cup heavy cream
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
THE STOCK
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 peeled onions, cut in half
3 celery stalks, cut in 2-inch chunks
1 veal knuckle, sawed in 2-inch pieces
1 leek, white part plus 2 inches of green (optional)
4 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 quarts hot chicken stock, fresh or canned
2 quarts water
THE VEGETABLE GARNISH
6 peeled carrots, cut in 2-inch cylinders or olive shapes
4 peeled white turnips, quartered
3 peeled parsnips, quartered
6 medium leeks, white part plus 2 inches of green, tied in a bunch
6 small potatoes, unpeeled if new
THE CHICKEN
5- to 6-pound stewing chicken
1 teaspoon salt
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| How To Cook: |
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1. THE STUFING: In a heavy 8- to 10-inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are limp and lightly colored. Stir in the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 or 3 minutes without browning it. Pour 1½ cups of hot chicken stock over the onion-rice mixture, cover the skillet, reduce the heat, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the rice is barely tender and the liquid absorbed. Transfer it to a bowl and set aside.
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2. In the same skillet, fry the sausage meat over moderate heat, stirring with a fork to break it up, until it is lightly browned. Drain the sausage thoroughly and add it to the rice. Heat 2 tablespoons of the fat from the sausage in the skillet and quickly saute the chicken livers until they stiffen and become lightly brown. Remove them from the pan and chop them coarsely; stir them into the rice and sausage mixture along with the parsley, thyme and cream. Season the finished stuffing with salt and a few grindings of pepper.
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3. THE CHICKEN: Wash the chicken, neck, gizzard and heart under cold cunning water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Rub the main cavity of the chicken with salt, and spoon in the stuffing loosely; don't overstuff it. Neatly sew up the openings and tcuss the chicken.
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4. THE STOCK: In a heavy 10-to 12-inch skillet, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and oil over moderately high heat and in it brown the chicken lightly on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a heavy 6- to 8-quart soup pot or casserole and arrange the giblets, onion halves, celery chunks, veal knuckle, leek, parsley and bay leaf around it. Pour in the chicken stock and water. If the liquid doesn't rise at least 2 inches above the chicken, add more stock or water. Over high heat, bring the pot to a simmer, skimming the surface of scum as it appears. When the scum is gone, reduce the heat to low and partly cover the pot.
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5. Simmer for 2½ hours, then remove the chicken to a plate; strain the stock through a fine sieve or double layer of cheesecloth into a large saucepan or bowl and skim off as much surface fat as possible. Discard the stewing vegetables. Return the chicken and stock to the pot, then proceed with the vegetable garnish below.
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6. THE VEGETABLE GARNISH: Bring the chicken and stock to a simmer, add the carrots, turnips, parsnips and bunch of leeks, and cook slowly for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables and chicken are tender. Meanwhile boil the potatoes in a small covered saucepan for 20 to 30 minutes; when they are done, drain them, cover and set aside.
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7. To serve, transfer the bird to a carving board, cut off the trussing strings, and let it rest. With a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables from the stock to a heated platter and arrange them attractively with the potatoes. Carve the chicken in the kitchen and serve it arranged on a heated platter, surrounded with the stuffing. Serve the vegetables from their separate platter.
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8. If you plan to serve the chicken without vegetables, let it simmer for 3 hours, or until tender. Remove the chicken to a carving board, cut off the trussing strings, and let it rest before carving.
NOTE: Save the stock for soup at a later meal, or cool and freeze it as a base for other soups and sauces.
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