Poached chicken with lemon & tarragon sauce

• dry white wine↗300ml ml
• small fennel↗1

  sliced or 2 sticks celery, sliced

• large carrot↗1

  cut in sticks

• sprigs each thyme2

  rosemary and tarragon

• large bay leaves↗2
• about 100g/4oz smoked bacon g

  pieces or rinds

• ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp bouillon powder↗

  or 2 stock cubes

• whole chicken↗1

  about 2kg/4lb 8 oz

• onion↗1

  quartered

• egg yolks↗2
• pot double cream↗142ml ml
• handful fresh tarragon

  chopped

• 1 tsp cornflour↗
• juice of 1 lemon↗

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Put the wine, vegetables, herb sprigs, bay leaves, bacon, peppercorns and stock powder or cubes in a large pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins.

2. 2

   Remove any excess fat from the chicken and push it into the liquor.

3. 3

   Return the liquor to the boil, then turn heat down. Cover and cook for 1¼ hrs until chicken legs feel tender when pierced. Remove from heat, stand for 15 mins, then lift onto a plate. Strain the liquor into a bowl and pour 500ml into a pan. Boil to reduce by half.

4. 4

   Pull and cut the bird into neat portions, discarding skin, wing tips and backbone. Put on a plate and cover.

5. 5

   Beat together the yolks, cream and tarragon in a jug. Ladle in a quarter of the liquor, mix, then pour back into the stock and turn the heat down. Mix the cornflour with a little water and add. With a wooden spoon, stir for 3-5 mins until it begins to thicken. Remove from the heat, then stir in lemon juice to taste. Pour some sauce over the chicken and put the rest in a jug. Serve with boiled long grain rice.