So, step one: poaching the chicken! If you’ve got a slow cooker, you’re sorted: poaching a chicken in a slow cooker. Even if not, it’s still super-easy:
I used a 1.5kg chicken (free range, of course). To be honest, I don’t actually know how long I can stretch it out for. I’ll let you know. Cliffhanger.
Put the chicken in a big pan and cover it with cold water.
Add a selection of the following:
A peeled, quartered onion
A halved lemon
One or two carrots, snapped in half
One or two sticks of celery, snapped in half
Eight or so whole peppercorns
Two or three bay leaves
A pinch or two of salt
I added all of the above except the celery, and the whole thing took under five minutes to prepare. You could get more creative but I deliberately kept the flavours simple so I’m left with a versatile protein to play with over the next few days.
Put the pan on the hob over a high heat until it is boiling, then cover and simmer for at least 90 minutes (or as long as possible). Remove the pan from the heat, then move the chicken into a large bowl using a couple of forks. It will probably fall apart because it’s so beautifully tender.
When the chicken has cooled slightly, attack that carcass. If you’re picky, separate the white and dark meat, but I just mix it in together. It’s a messy job, but fingers are the best option. Add any gross bits (skin, bone and gristle) back to the pan of poaching liquid (stock), bring back to the boil and let it bubble away without the lid for another 20 minutes or so (this really depends on how much stock you want). Let it cool a little, skim the scum off the top, strain through a sieve and ditch the veg.
Et voila! You have yourself some tasty, tender chicken and some proper, homemade stock.
Mange Tout 
Leave a comment