King Henry IV of France had such great pride in his country that he insisted that no French person should be too poor to enjoy poule au pot – which translates as chicken in the pot – for Sunday supper. Alas, French peasants in the countryside had a diet based mainly on bread, vegetables and soup – they rarely could afford or had the opportunity to eat meat. People living closer to towns would often buy inexpensive pieces of meat, which needed long cooking. Sometimes the dish included stuffing the bird or adding seasonal vegetables, such as spring peas, asparagus and zucchini (courgette). Serve with baguette, dijon mustard and cornichons.
Ingredients 15
1.35 kg whole chicken
2 fresh bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs, large
5 cloves garlic, halved
20 black peppercorns
4 carrots, cut into 5 cm (2 in) lengths
4 ribs celery, cut into 5 cm (2 in) lengths
2 turnips, quartered
2 leeks, white parts only, cut into 5 cm (2 in) lengths
1 fennel bulb, cut into 1 cm (1/2 in) slices
240 ml dry white wine
1,200 ml water
1 tbsp salt
200 g white long-grain rice
chervil, chopped, to garnish
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Method 5
Place the , herbs, , , and , , , and in a pot. The chicken should fit in the pot snugly with the vegetables. Add the , or stock and the and bring to the boil. Immediately reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer.
Simmer, uncovered, for 20–30 minutes until the are tender and the is cooked through – a thermometer will read 74°C (165°F) when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh or breast and the juices of the chicken will run clear.
Remove the and from the pot and lay on a plate. Cover the chicken with foil. Add the to the broth and simmer very gently for 10 minutes.
Drain the through a colander into a large bowl to collect the broth. Season the broth with and freshly ground black pepper if necessary.
Cut the into serving pieces, then serve in hot bowls with equal amounts of and in each bowl. Ladle the hot over the chicken and vegetables and garnish with chopped chervil.
