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Poule au Pot Recipe Wanted

post #1 of 7
8/8/08 at 5:49am
Thread Starter 
Does anyone have a good, "authentic" recipe for Poule au Pot, one that uses an older or roasting chicken. Paula Wolfert had such a recipe in the first edition of The Cooking of Southwest France, however, my copy of the book is packed away and I can't get at it for a few weeks.

scb
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post #2 of 7
8/9/08 at 12:52am
As I recall, poule au pot is just a poached chicken, usually an old, tough stewing hen. Throw it in a pot, cover with beef broth, toss in some carrots, a leek or two and, uh, some root vegetable. It might be parsnips or turnips, I don't think it is potatoes in the traditional recipe. Bring to a low simmer, cook until the chicken is done, maybe 45 minutes or so. Tarragon and a wee bit of rosemary might be a good bouquet garni. I think the use of beef broth to poach the chicken is based on the idea that every French country farmhouse has a big cauldron of pot au feu going at all times. If I were doing it I'd probably throw in a bay leaf, a clove and some chunks of garlic as well.

I might have a real recipe for it in one of my books, I'll try to remember to look for it in the morning.

mjb.
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post #3 of 7
8/9/08 at 8:18am
Thread Starter 
Using beef broth or stock is an authentic touch, as is the use of root vegetables. I'm not sure about potatoes. In many cases the chicken is stuffed with ground or minced ham, maybe some similarly prepared chicken livers, and a mixture of aromatics, maybe some bread crumbs. I recall a longer simmering time - maybe a couple of hours total, maybe even more. Depends on the size and age of the bird.

Thanks for helping jog my memory ... I think I'll order a roasting chicken or a stewing hen for next week. Mornings and evenings at this time of year are cold and foggy here, so a nice winter dish is ideal. The house smells great in the AM and the resulting dinner is comforting and tasty.

shel
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post #4 of 7
8/11/08 at 12:32am
While vegging out on the sofa watching the Olympics, I perused some of my cookbooks. The only poule au pot recipe I found was in James Petersen's 'Glorious French Food' It didn't really add much to what we've already discussed. He used carrots, leeks and turnips as his veggies, allowed for the use of beef, dark chicken or turkey stocks. And it was for a younger, smaller chicken, around 4 pounds. No stuffings or special treatment, so probably no help in regards to what you were looking for in the original question.

mjb.
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post #5 of 7
8/11/08 at 5:24am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for checking - I've got a number of ideas and techniques now, and will be able to make a nice poule-au-pot as soon as the chicken arrives later this week. I decided to order a large roasting chicken amd will try to get some nice French ham to use for stuffing.

scb
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post #6 of 7
9/18/08 at 12:30am
Traditionally the French used an old chicken that was no longer laying any eggs. It would be cooked for a minimum of 4-5 hours but sometimes all day. If you are using a young chicken 2 hours are fine. In the region of France I'm it it would also be stuffed with pork and mushroom stuffing.
Now is the time it is cooked over here, September, as we are in mushroom season so lots of Cepes , portebello and chanterelles around.
To make it extra tasty, fry the chicken first to brown the skin all over...just looks better. You can also add some fried pancetta or a bit of wine to the stock. Deliceux :D
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post #7 of 7
10/1/08 at 6:57am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the suggestions. The dish came out pretty well for the first time - gotta try it again with more muchrooms. I think fresh cepes are available now.
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