Chicken in a Pot for A Sunday Family Supper (Poule au Pot)
 
 
Ingredients
For the Stuffing:
  • 2 cups stale bread 1-inch cubes
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian parsley, minced
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 Tablespoons minced ham
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 egg beaten
  • ½ cup milk
For the Chicken and Broth:
  • 1 whole organic chicken (chicken is the focus here so it needs to be best quality)
  • Bouquet garni with 6 to 8 peppercorns, a bay leaf and sprigs of thyme and parsley*
  • 2 quarts water, approximately (you will need enough water to cover the chicken in the pot)
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped in half
  • 4 celery stalks, including leaves, chopped in half
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
  • 3 leeks, white parts only, sliced in half and rinsed well to remove any grit
  • 2 cloves peeled garlic
  • 2 teaspoons salt and more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
For the Herb Vinaigrette:
  • Handful of Italian parsley leaves
  • 4 cornichons (or other small pickles. Mini dills would work well, too)
  • 2 teaspoons capers in brine, drained (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons country-style Dijon mustard
  • 1 small shallot bulb, quartered
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
For the Quick Aioli:
  • 4 Tablespoons good quality mayonnaise
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Dash of paprika
*To make a bouquet garni, stretch out a piece of cooking gauze, fill with herbs and tie together at top with cooking string. Or, I bought a small reusable bouquet garni tin that holds all herbs.
Instructions
  1. Remove giblets from cavity of the chicken and rub salt and pepper over and under the skin, wherever possible. Place into a large stockpot.
  2. Mix stuffing ingredients together. Pack (don’t cram) into the chicken's cavity and tie legs together over the cavity to close.
  3. Place chicken into a large stockpot, add wine and add enough water to cover. Place onto high heat to bring to a boil while you prep vegetables.
  4. Place leeks, carrots, celery, onion and garlic into pot with bouquet garni, salt and pepper.
  5. Once chicken comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer.
  6. Cover the pot and simmer gently for about 1 ½ hours.
  7. While the chicken cooks, combine the ingredients for each sauce.
  8. For the Vinaigrette:
  9. Place all ingredients except oil into a mini chopper or food processor. Blend until finely chopped. Add oil in a stream in a processor or to mini chopper with a few pulses to combine.
  10. For the Quick Aioli:
  11. Combine all ingredients with a good stir.
  12. Chicken is ready when a leg easily pulls away from the carcass. At this point, carefully remove to a cutting board. Remove carrots to a dish and set aside. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Gently remove the stuffing, slice and keep warm covered on a plate.
  13. Shred chicken off of bone and keep warm.
  14. Bring broth up to a boil and reduce for about 20-30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. I sometimes shorten the reducing step above and need to add a little Better than Bouillon chicken broth base to season.
  15. To serve Family and Forks style, ladle up a small bowl of broth for each person. Enjoy. Once soup is consumed, place chicken slices/pieces on a platter surrounded by vegetables and stuffing. Pass around with the sauces.
  16. *Don't be scared of the long list of ingredients. There are many different ways to prepare this dish quickly. It just needs time alone in a pot.
  17. *The stuffing is optional. A pot of rice or even egg noodles would work well, too. We usually have left over bread on Sundays and stuffing is easy for kids to get their hands in the mix, so to speak.
  18. *We often have much more broth than we need so I pour the remainder into BPA-free plastic containers to freeze and use later whenever a recipe calls for chicken broth.
  19. *Lunchbox ideas: The next morning, I heat up the broth with leftover chicken and rice or noodles. In a few minutes it's ready and I ladle into insulated containers for the girls to take for lunch. I can manage this without my first shot of espresso, it's that easy.
Recipe by FamilyandForks at https://www.familyandforks.com/chicken-in-a-pot-for-a-sunday-family-supper-poule-au-pot/