To Bone
Place the chicken on the table with the breast down; take a very small, sharp pointed knife and cut the skin from the neck to the rump down the backbone. Now carefully and slowly run the knife between the bones and flesh toward one of the wings. When you come to the thin bone, and the joint nearest the body, unjoint, and then separate it from the body; now run the knife between the flesh and the bone of the wing, and remove each bone as you come to the joint; the small bones in the tips of the wings cannot be taken out, so they may be either left on or cut off the first is best. Now run the knife close to the bones until you come to the third joint of the legs; by twisting and cutting this joint, it (65) will easily open, then separate it from the body; take the bones out of the leg in the same manner as the wing. The lower leg bone can be taken out easily by turning it wrong side out and stripping the flesh down. Now run the knife between the bones and flesh, on the same side, until you come to the breast bone. Then turn the chicken and bone the other side the same. Now pull out the crop; then take the neck in one hand and the flesh and skin in the other, and gently pull the flesh, and you will partly uncover the upper part of the breast bone; now take your finger and press the flesh from the breast bone till you come to the edge, then lay the chicken on its back; let some one take hold of it by the neck. Now take hold of the flesh and skin of the neck with your left hand, and pulling it gently down, with the knife cut the skin carefully from the breast bone, the carcass coming out whole. All along this bone there is no flesh between the skin and bone, so it requires great care not to cut the skin, it should be perfectly whole without one break when the chicken is finished. After removing the carcass, cut off the rump, leaving it attached to the flesh and skin; see that it is clean, wipe the skin with a damp towel, and spread the chicken out flesh side up; dredge it with salt and pepper. Cut up the other chicken, take the meat from the bones and chop it fine. Mix it with the sausage meat, add the crumbs, salt, pepper, parsley, and onion juice, and mix again. Take a small portion of this forcemeat and press carefully into the wings and legs where the bones have been taken out; form the remainder of it into a roll the shape of the carcass, and place it in the boned chicken; draw the skin together and sew it up from the neck to rump. Now turn it over on its back, tuck the wings back, and draw the legs down to the side of the body, press it with your hands until it is the shape of the chicken before you boned it. It is impossible to give it the exact shape; it will look more like a duck than a chicken. Now wrap it up tightly in a towel, tie with twine, running it all around so that it cannot open in any place. Now place the bones from both chickens and the skin from the one you chopped in a kettle, pour in cold water enough to cover them, and a little more. Add a knuckle of veal, one bay leaf, one onion, four cloves, a sprig of parsley, twelve pepper-corns, a small sized carrot sliced. Stand it over a moderate fire; at the first boil, skim it, add salt; lay the boned chicken on top of these, cover the kettle, and simmer gently for four hours. When done take it from the kettle, remove the towel, and stand away to cool. Simmer the bones two hours longer, then strain and stand the liquor away to cool. When cold, take the fat from the top. There should be two quarts of this jelly.
If a knuckle of veal is not at hand, cover one box of gelatine with one pint of cold water and soak one hour. After you have taken the fat from the jelly, put the jelly into a saucepan to melt; when melted and hot, add the soaked gelatine and stir until dissolved. Be sure that there are two quarts of the jelly; if not, add hot water to make the quantity. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour a layer about half an inch deep in an oblong basin or mould, stand away to harden, then lay the chicken on top and pour over and around it the remainder of the jelly, which must be cold but liquid, and should just cover the chicken; now put it in a very cold place over night. When wanted, wipe the mould with a warm cloth, and turn carefully out; garnish with parsley and sauce Tartare. Or, when the chicken is done, remove the towel, place the chicken in a baking pan, baste it with butter, dust it with salt and pepper, and brown in a quick oven about thirty minutes. Stand it away to cool. Make the jelly as directed, season and put away to harden in a shallow pan. When hard, remove the fat, and chop half of the jelly on a towel with a silver knife. Place the chicken on a flat dish, and put the chopped jelly all over it about a half inch thick; cut the remaining jelly into squares (about an inch) or fancy shapes, and place them around the dish, forming a border of jelly. In summer this is the better way, as the jelly melts so quickly. It may also be served without jelly, garnished with parsley and sauce Tartare. The liquor in which it was cooked may then be used for soup. A boned chicken may be kept four or five days.