Poached Chicken with Steamed Vegetables and a Mustard Cream Sauce

Preferably the previous day, carefully cut the sides completely off of the chicken, and then cut each side into two equal joints  Picture  . Wrap the joints in foil and keep in the fridge. Cut the remainder of the chicken carcass into pieces discarding any skin and excess fat.

Put the remainder of the chicken carcass into an ovenproof dish along with some other chicken pieces like some thighs or similar. Peel and cut an onion into quarters. scrape a couple of carrots and add both to the dish. Sprinkle over a tablespoon or two of olive oil and put into the oven at 400°F/200°C/Reg6. Cook for 50 minutes or so turning half way through.

Meanwhile clean and roughly chop the celery and leeks and put in a large saucepan. Trim the skin off the garlic clove, cut off the base and add to the saucepan along with some fresh thyme tied with some string. When ready, add the chicken/carrot/onion mixture to the saucepan and barely cover with water.

Simmer the chicken/vegetables covered for two hours. When ready take off the heat, discard the chicken pieces and vegetables, and then pour through a sieve into a bowl. Allow the stock to cool and then put in the freezer for a few hours or over night. Then use a spoon to remove and discard the fat from the top of the stock.

Heat the stock in a saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Put the chicken joints into a poaching dish with a lid, pour over the stock until the chicken is 90% covered. Cover and simmer over a very low light for about 40 minutes turning twice. Meanwhile prepare the carrots and chard and put into a steamer and steam until barely tender.

When the chicken is ready, remove from the poaching dish, cover with some foil and keep warm to one side. Take ¾ pint of the cooking liquid and put in a saucepan. Take a couple of tablespoonfuls of the liquid and mix in a dish with a heaped tablespoonful of cornflour, pour back into the saucepan and cook over a medium heat until it thickens. Stir five tablespoonfuls of single cream and two teaspoonfuls of mustard to the saucepan and season if necessary.

Put the chicken pieces on to serving dishes along with the vegetables and pour over some of the mustard cream sauce and serve  Zoom  .