Poule au Pot — Henri IV's Stuffed Boiled Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 whole free-range chicken, 1.8–2 kg, liver reserved
• For the stuffing
• 150 g day-old bread, soaked in milk and squeezed dry
• 1 chicken liver, finely chopped
• 100 g jambon de Bayonne or cured ham, diced
• 2 eggs
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 pinch quatre-épices
• 5 g fine salt
• 2 g ground black pepper
• For the pot
• 1 bouquet garni, bay, thyme, parsley stems
• 1 onion piquée, peeled, studded with cloves
• 10 g coarse salt
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 carrots, peeled, halved lengthways
• 4 leeks, white and pale green parts, tied in a bundle
• 2 turnips, peeled and quartered
• 4 waxy potatoes, peeled
• To serve
• 20 g gros sel
• 1 jar Dijon mustard, served at table
• 1 jar cornichons, served at table
• To serve (optional)
• 50 g Gruyère, grated, for the broth course
• 60 g vermicelli, cooked separately, for the broth course

Method

1. 1
   Combine the squeezed bread, chopped liver, diced ham, eggs, garlic, and parsley in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and quatre-épices. Mix thoroughly until cohesive. The stuffing should hold its shape when pressed but remain supple — not stiff, not wet.
2. 2
   Fill the chicken's cavity with the stuffing, taking care not to pack it tightly — the stuffing swells as it cooks. Truss the bird securely with kitchen string so that the legs close the cavity and the shape is compact and even.
3. 3
   Place the trussed chicken in a large pot. Cover entirely with cold water. Set over medium heat and bring slowly to a bare simmer. As the water approaches a simmer, grey foam will begin to rise. Skim meticulously and continuously for 15–20 minutes until the surface is clear and no further foam appears. This is where the dish lives or dies: insufficient or interrupted skimming at this stage leaves impurities that cloud the broth permanently and cannot be corrected later.
4. 4
   Add the bouquet garni, onion piquée, coarse salt, and peppercorns. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. The surface of the liquid should barely tremble — a rolling boil will make the broth greasy and the flesh tough. Maintain this tremor for 1 hour.
5. 5
   Add the leek bundle and the carrots. Continue at the same gentle simmer for 30 minutes, then add the turnips and potatoes. Simmer for a further 30 minutes, or until the vegetables yield without resistance when tested with a skewer. Total simmering time is 1.5–2 hours depending on the size of the bird.
6. 6
   Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer. The juices that run out must be entirely clear, with no trace of pink. If the slightest colour remains, return the pot to the simmer and check again at intervals of ten minutes.
7. 7
   Lift the chicken carefully from the pot and rest it on a warm platter. Remove the string. Ladle out the broth and strain it through a piece of muslin into a clean pot or sauceboat. Taste the strained broth: it should be golden, clean, and fully seasoned. Adjust salt if required.
8. 8
   Serve the strained broth first as a soup course, with toast and grated Gruyère or cooked vermicelli at the table. Follow with the carved chicken, sliced stuffing, and arranged vegetables on the warm platter. Set out gros sel, Dijon mustard, cornichons, and a sauceboat of additional broth for moistening the meat at table.