Home › Meats and Entrees › Henry Iv.'s Recipe for Boiled Chicken

Henry Iv.'s Recipe for Boiled Chicken

Henry the Fourth was that beloved king of France who said that he wanted the poor man to have a fowl in a casserole every Sunday--since the peasants were terribly poor and taxed before that time. He was a jolly fellow and came from a part of France famous for good cooking. Clean a fat hen, singe it, and then chop the liver with 1 cup of bread-crumbs or more, if needful, 1/2 pound of ham, 1/2 cup of milk, 6 chestnuts and 6 truffles, nutmeg, parsley, thyme, sweet marjoram, and a grating of garlic or onion juice. Add the yolks of two eggs. Now fill the belly, the crop, and the cavities of the legs and wings, which must be boned and all tied firmly. Brown it in butter, add 2 carrots, 2 onions, sliced, 1/2 cup of rice, and a pint of water. Cover very closely and simmer for 1 hour. Serve with the sauce poured around or in the same dish in which it was cooked. Any one who has tried this will admit that it has a superior flavor.

CHICKEN ROYAL (invented for one of the early queens of France.). Bone a large fat chicken or a capon, fill it with a forcemeat of bread, herbs, mushrooms, eggs, and onion, seasoned and chopped. Truss it, lard it with bacon, and cover it with oiled paper. Bake in a pint of consomme, basting often. When tender, take off the paper, let it brown, reduce and strain the sauce, and serve with a puree of chestnuts, boiled, shelled, pounded, flavored with stock, and strained.

CHICKEN A LA MARENGO (invented for Napoleon, the night of the battle.). Joint and fry a tender chicken in 4 spoonfuls of olive oil, with three shallots, a clove of garlic, a bayleaf, some parsley, and thyme. When brown, take out and keep warm. Add to the oil 1 pint of white stock and the yolk of an egg. Stir until thick, strain, and pour over the chicken. Serve with a border of poached eggs, on strips of toast.