Chicken 'Hotch Potch' with Garden Vegetables

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Chicken 'Hotch Potch' with Garden Vegetables

Recipe from Loose Birds and Game by Andrew Pern. To order a copy go to www.loosebirdsandgame.co.uk

Serves four

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Cooking time: 75 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large, whole free-range chicken
500ml good chicken stock
1 glass fino sherry
2 star anise
8 baby carrots
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 bulb of fennel
6 shallots, topped and tailed
2 bay leaves
5g flat parsley, chopped
25g broad beans
100g chilled butter, diced
a little oil for frying
seasoning
to garnish
a few garden herbs
to serve
crusty bread
dressed green salad leaves

Method:

Split the chicken down into breasts, legs and thighs, and liver, if you wish. Then, heat a little oil in a frying pan and seal all of the meat to a golden brown colour. Once cool, take a pad of kitchen towel and pat off all of the oil from the meat. Bring the chicken stock to the boil and add the sherry, bay leaves and star anise. Chop the fennel and carrots, then add to the stock, along with the chicken, shallots and garlic. Simmer for 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

To finish, lift out the chicken and keep warm. Then rapidly reduce down the chicken stock by two thirds to form a broth-like ‘juice’ and add a few cubes of chilled butter. Spoon the chicken and the vegetables into a bowl or plate with a decent rim. Add the broad beans and parsley to the ‘juices’, simmer for two minutes, then check the seasoning and spoon over the meat and vegetables. Serve with crusty bread and a dressed green salad. Garnish with herbs and serve immediately.