For 6 to 8 servings
- 1 free-range chicken.
- For the broth: 1 onion, 3 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 leeks, salt, pepper, olive oil, 3 sprigs of thyme, 1 bay leaf.
- For the mayonnaise: 1 or 2 egg yolks, neutral vegetable oil (rapeseed or sunflower), horseradish paste, juice of half a lemon, salt, pepper.
- For sandwiches: 3 traditional baguettes (or other bread), 1 bunch of watercress or
arugula (washed and drained).
Preparation
Peel and cut the onion in half, peel the carrots and cut them into large pieces, wash the celery and leeks, cut them into sections, peel the garlic and remove the germ.
Brown over low heat, with a drizzle of olive oil, all the vegetables in a casserole dish or pot that can hold a whole chicken. Add the chicken, thyme, bay leaf and cover with room temperature water.
Bring to a very light boil (without letting the water smoke otherwise the broth will be cloudy) and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 hours, uncovered, and from time to time skimming off the white foam that forms on top.
Let the chicken rest in its broth for an hour, then remove it from the pot. Skin it until you obtain a carcass, reserve the flesh.
For the more patient: return the carcass to the broth to cook for 1 hour. Strain the broth, taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Prepare a mayonnaise by mixing the egg yolks in the oil, with a pinch of salt, a dash of lemon juice and a few good spoonfuls of horseradish paste. Mix this spicy mayonnaise with the chicken meat. Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise and garnish them
chicken salad, with watercress or arugula.
Enjoy with a bowl of broth (or freeze the broth for later use). And for a “chicken soup” option: return the chicken flesh to the broth, and enjoy as a soup with grated parmesan and a slice of toast rubbed with garlic.