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Chicken en Casserole
Truss a young, plump chicken as for roasting. Put 2 tablespoonfuls of butter into a frying-pan, and when hot add a bay leaf, a sliced carrot and onion, and a sprig of thyme. Let the vegetables cook until they become slightly browned, then put them into a casserole with the chicken; pour in a pint of well-seasoned stock; cover, and cook for forty-five minutes in a hot oven. At the end of that time drop in a dozen potato balls and a dozen mushrooms; season to taste, uncover, and set in the oven to brown. Sprinkle with minced parsley before serving, and send to the table in the casserole.
A straightforward oven braise that finishes uncovered to brown. The only real decisions are the pot and the oven temperature, both of which the original leaves you to infer.
- The casseroleHere it means a lidded ovenproof pot handsome enough to carry to the table — a glazed earthenware or enamelled cast-iron braiser. It must be deep enough to hold a whole bird with a pint of stock and still take its lid.
- "A hot oven"In period terms roughly 400-450F, though the scales of the day were not precise. For a covered braise, 375-400F is more forgiving; the liquid will still hold the bird at a steady simmer and the breast is less likely to dry out before the thighs are done.
- Doneness over timingForty-five minutes suits a small bird of about 3 lb. Judge by temperature rather than the clock: 165F in the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone. A 4-5 lb chicken will want closer to an hour and a quarter.
- TrussingTying the legs together and the wings against the body keeps the bird compact so it cooks evenly and lifts out of the pot in one piece. Butcher's twine, one loop around the ankles and one around the body, is enough.
- Potato ballsCut with a large melon baller from peeled potatoes, or use small new potatoes halved. A dozen added for the last stretch of cooking will be tender in about 20 minutes in the simmering stock; anything larger needs a head start.
- MushroomsThe count of a dozen suggests small whole ones, button size. Add them whole and late, as directed — they release water, and long cooking in the stock turns them grey and slack.
- The stockA pint (2 cups) barely comes up the sides of the bird, which is the point: this is a braise, not a poach. The recipe calls for it well-seasoned; taste again before the final seasoning, since it will have reduced in the oven.
- The browning stageRemoving the lid for the final period is what gives the dish its colour. If the skin is still pale after ten minutes, raise the heat to 450F or run it briefly under the broiler.
- YieldA 3 to 3 1/2 lb bird with the potatoes and mushrooms serves four.