← Nouns Cooking · French

Ingredients

• 1.8 kg whole chicken (ideally a boiling fowl)
• 1 onion, studded with the cloves
• 3 Cloves
• 4 Carrot, halved
• 3 Leek, trimmed, washed and tied in a bundle
• 2 Turnip, quartered
• 2 celery sticks, cut in 3
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 Bay leaves
• 4 sprigs Thyme
• 1 handful parsley stalks and leaves
• 3 l cold water, to cover
• 1 tbsp coarse salt, plus extra to serve
• 10 black peppercorns
• cornichons, to serve
• Dijon mustard, to serve

Method

1. Put the chicken in a large stockpot with the clove-studded onion, garlic, bay, thyme and parsley stalks. Cover with the cold water, add the salt and peppercorns and bring slowly to a simmer over medium heat.
2. As it comes up to temperature, skim off the grey foam that rises. Turn the heat down so the surface barely trembles and poach, partly covered, for 1 hour.
3. Add the carrots, leeks, turnips and celery and keep poaching gently for 45 min–1 hour, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken thigh reaches 75°C (165°F).
4. Lift out the chicken and vegetables onto a warm platter and cover. Strain the broth, skim off excess fat and taste for salt.
5. Serve the broth first in bowls, then carve the chicken and serve it with the vegetables, a ladle of broth, coarse salt, cornichons and mustard.

Tips

• Never let it boil hard: a lazy simmer keeps the broth clear and the meat juicy.
• Cool leftover broth quickly and refrigerate; it makes a superb base for soups and risottos.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Serious Eats David Lebovitz