Poached chicken with lemon & tarragon sauce

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Poached chicken with lemon in a deliciously creamy tarragon sauce – serve simply with rice or potatoes

Prep:30 mins
Ready in 1¾ hrs, including poaching and resting

Serves 4
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 689
fat 42g
saturates 19g
carbs 3g
sugars 0g
fibre 0g
protein 62g
salt 1.35g

Ingredients

300ml dry white wine
1 small fennel, sliced or 2 sticks celery, sliced
1 large carrot, cut in sticks
2 sprigs each thyme, rosemary and tarragon
2 large bay leaves
about 100g/4oz smoked bacon pieces or rinds
½ tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tbsp bouillon powder or 2 stock cubes
1 whole chicken, about 2kg/4lb 8 oz
1 onion, quartered
2 egg yolks
142ml pot double cream
handful fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tsp cornflour
juice of 1 lemon

Method

Put the wine, vegetables, herb sprigs, bay leaves, bacon, peppercorns and stock powder or cubes in a large pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins.
Remove any excess fat from the chicken and push it into the liquor.
Return the liquor to the boil, then turn heat down. Cover and cook for 11?4 hrs until chicken legs feel tender when pierced. Remove from heat, stand for 15 mins, then lift onto a plate. Strain the liquor into a bowl and pour 500ml into a pan. Boil to reduce by half.
Pull and cut the bird into neat portions, discarding skin, wing tips and backbone. Put on a plate and cover.
Beat together the yolks, cream and tarragon in a jug. Ladle in a quarter of the liquor, mix, then pour back into the stock and turn the heat down. Mix the cornflour with a little water and add. With a wooden spoon, stir for 3-5 mins until it begins to thicken.6 Remove from the heat, then stir in lemon juice to taste. Pour some sauce over the chicken and put the rest in a jug. Serve with boiled long grain rice.