Poule au Pot

A whole hen with meat that falls off the bone, surrounded by tender root vegetables. The broth is clear and fragrant, served with a velvety white sauce that coats the meat perfectly.

• Prep time: 30 min
• Cook time: 120 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 714
• Protein: 77 g
• Carbs: 23 g
• Fat: 34 g

Ingredients

• 0.7 piece Hen meat ( whole, gutted )
• 4 piece Carrot ( peeled and halved )
• 2.7 piece Navet (translated from French) ( cut into quarters )
• 2 piece Leek ( cleaned and tied )
• 1.3 piece Apium graveolens ( chopped )
• 0.7 piece Onion ( studded with cloves )
• 2 piece Clove
• 0.7 piece Bouquet garni
• 0.7 tbsp Gray sea salt
• 6.7 piece Black peppercorns
• 33.3 g Minimum butter sweet
• 33.3 g Wheat flour
• 66.7 ml Cream
• 0.7 piece Egg ( yolk only )

Instructions

1. Cold start

   Place the hen in a large pot. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. As soon as grey foam rises to the surface, carefully skim it off with a slotted spoon until the broth is clear.

2. Flavoring the broth

   Add the onion studded with cloves, the bouquet garni, peppercorns, and sea salt. Let it simmer on low heat. The broth should never boil vigorously, just 'smile' with gentle bubbles.

3. Cooking the vegetables

   After 1 hour of cooking, add the carrots, turnips, and celery. 30 minutes later, add the tied leeks. The vegetables are ready when a knife blade slides into them like butter.

4. Making the sauce

   Melt the butter, add the flour (singer) and stir. Gradually pour in two ladles of hot broth while whisking. The sauce should thicken and coat the back of a spoon. Finish with cream and egg yolk off the heat.

5. Carving and serving

   Remove the hen and carve it into pieces. Arrange the vegetables around it in a large deep dish. Drizzle with the velvety white sauce.

Chef's tips

• The secret is the simmering: if you boil too hard, the meat will toughen.
• Use the leftover broth to make a soup or cook a pilaf rice.
• Skim the fat from the broth during cooking for a more refined sauce.

Storage

Keep for 3 days in the refrigerator in its broth. Store the sauce separately and reheat gently over low heat.