Poularde en Estouffade

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-quart (4.7-liter) heavy cocotte or Dutch oven with a snug lid
• •Deep, heavy saucepan suitable for Poëlings (No. 250)
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Rolling pin or clean work surface for shaping the paste rope

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the luting paste

   Mix the flour with the cold water until it forms a firm, smooth paste, adding another teaspoon of water only if dry flour remains. Knead it briefly, roll it into a rope long enough to circle the cocotte, then wrap it so it cannot dry. The paste is not pastry and nobody will eat it; its whole duty is to close the seam without cracking.

   Test the rope by bending a short section. If its surface splits, knead in a few drops of water. If it slumps or sticks heavily, dust it with flour.
2. 2

   Half-poêle the poularde

   Prepare the poularde to the halfway point using Poëlings (No. 250), treating that referenced preparation as its own complete component and stopping halfway through its prescribed cooking period. Set the bird aside and preserve the saucepan with all its butter, juices, and fond. As the poularde approaches that halfway point, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

   Continue directly from this partial cooking into the sealed finish. A half-cooked bird must not be cooled and saved for later.
3. 3

   Fry the vegetables

   Melt the butter in the cocotte over medium heat. Add the sliced carrots, onions, and celery with most of the salt and all the pepper, then cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning frequently, until glossy and beginning to soften at the edges. They should smell sweet and buttery without taking dark color. Transfer them to a bowl and wipe the cocotte only if a vegetable fragment has caught.

4. 4

   Line the cocotte

   Let the cocotte cool just enough to handle, then overlap the ham slices across its bottom and sides, leaving as few gaps as possible. The lining should form a savory inner jacket around the bird, not a decorative layer perched on top.

5. 5

   Reduce the stock

   Pour the strong veal stock into the saucepan used for the half poêling, without first discarding its aromatic butter. Bring it to a lively simmer and scrape the pan floor until every browned deposit dissolves. Reduce the liquid by half, to about ⅜ cup (95 ml). If it goes too far and turns sticky, ça se rattrape: add enough veal stock to restore the measured volume, bring it back to a simmer, and stop there. Water would thin the foundation you have just built.

6. 6

   Fill and seal

   Set the half-poêled poularde breast-side up in the ham-lined cocotte and arrange the buttered vegetables closely around it. Pour the reduced stock around the bird rather than over the skin. Fit the lid, lay the paste rope over the entire joint between lid and pot, and press it firmly against both surfaces. Smooth the ends together so no opening remains. If the paste cracks, dampen the crack and press on a small patch. Ça se rattrape, but seal it before the pot reaches the oven.

7. 7

   Finish in the oven

   Bake the sealed cocotte for 45 minutes. Do not open the lid, and don't mistake curiosity for technique. The enclosed butter, ham, vegetables, stock, and poultry juices must circulate together without escaping. The flour ring may harden and color deeply at its thinnest points; that is exactly right.

8. 8

   Rest, open, serve

   Rest the cocotte for 10 minutes with the seal intact, then crack away the paste and lift the lid carefully. Check the thickest part of the breast and inner thigh without touching bone; both must reach at least 165°F (74°C), with the thigh ideally nearer 175°F (80°C). If either falls short, replace the lid and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Taste the cooking liquor and correct the remaining salt only if needed. Carry the opened cocotte to the table, carve the poularde, and spoon the ham, vegetables, and glossy juices beside each serving. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A poularde is a plump young hen with enough fat to remain tender through two stages of cooking. If your butcher cannot supply one, choose a compact roasting chicken of the same weight rather than a very lean bird. Technique first, always.
• •Use a mild, unsmoked ham. A forceful smoked ham takes command of the enclosed pot, and once the lid is sealed every aroma becomes more concentrated.
• •Strong veal stock should taste full but not aggressively salty before reduction. A good unsalted prepared veal stock is the honest home equivalent to the stockpot that never left the classical stove. Concentrated chicken stock will work if veal is unavailable, but the finished liquor will be lighter and less gelatinous.
• •The cocotte must hold the bird snugly without crushing it. Too much empty space weakens the enclosed perfume, while a pot packed to the rim cannot seal cleanly.
• •Serve with buttered noodles, pommes purée, or plain rice to receive the juices. A round Chardonnay from the Mâconnais has enough freshness for the ham and enough body for the butter.

Advance Preparation

• •The vegetables may be sliced and refrigerated in a covered container up to one day ahead. The luting paste may be mixed several hours ahead if wrapped tightly so its surface stays supple.
• •Do not pause after the poularde has been brought halfway through Poëlings (No. 250). Partial cooking must flow directly into assembly and the sealed oven finish.
• •For a fully make-ahead meal, cook the entire dish, cool it promptly, and refrigerate it within two hours. Reheat it covered at 325°F (165°C) until the breast and thigh reach 165°F (74°C), loosening the cooking liquor with a spoonful of veal stock if it has set firmly in the cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 425g)