Practical household cookery

Draw, singe, and trim the feet and wings of a nice chicken ; cut the under part of the thighs close up to the bend of the joint ; loosen the skin all round the thighs by introducing the fingers through the vent, and push the legs inside so that the feet only are seen ; lay the chicken on its breast, twist the pinions round to make them lie even with the back, turn the skin of the breast upon the back, then run a trussing-needle and string through the pinion on the left, and again through its lower joint on through the upper joint of the thigh ; the needle must now be brought round and inserted through the other wing in a similar manner, and the strings drawn tight and fastened. The legs must also be secured by running the needle through the upper part, leaving the drum-sticks under, and pass the needle through the back, then draw and tie the strings, so as to give the chicken a plump appearance ; rub it with half a lemon to keep it white, and place it in a stewpan with a pint and a half of water, an onion with two cloves stuck in it, a small " bouquet garni " (no garlic), salt and pepper to taste, and two or three sprigs of tarragon. Boil and simmer very gently for about thirty-five minutes with the lid on, taking care to turn the chicken over after a quarter of an hour's ebullition. When the chicken is done, strain the gravy through a pointed gravy-strainer into a small stewpan ; add a few drops of caramel to give it a rich colour, and set it on the fire to boil fast for about seven minutes, in order to reduce it to a half-glaze. Meanwhile untie the chicken, place it on a dish with two or three sprigs of tarragon blanched in boiling water for two minutes, and keep hot. When the sauce has reached its proper consistency pour it over the chicken, and serve. Note, — The chicken will eat better if broth is substituted for water. 618. BOILED CHICKEN WITH ROCK-SALT. Clean and truss a good chicken as in Na 617; rub it with lemon, and cook it in the same manner. When the broth has been properly reduced pour it over the chicken ; place a good teaspoonful of rock-salt on. the breast, and serve. 619. BOILED CHICKEN WITH RICE. Prepare, truss, and cook a chicken in a quart of broth as in the foregoing. When the chicken is done strain the broth into another stewpan, and keep the chicken hot by the side of the fire. Meanwhile boil half a pound of properly washed rice (see Rice) with the strained broth for about eighteen minutes; then add a pinch of grated nutmeg, a tablespoonful of grated cheese, and half an ounce of butter. Mix these well together and pour it over a disli, put the chicken on it, sauce over with about a gill of Béchamel sauce, and serva Note. — If half a pint of the chicken broth is kept apart in a small stewpan after being strained, and then reduced to an essence or half-glaze, it can be substituted for Bechamel sauce. 620. ROAST CHICKEN. It is advisable when about to roast poultry to dip the bird or birds into boiling water for two minutes, in order to open the pores of the skin, which process will make the meat eat very tender and more juicy than otherwise. After having selected a good chicken, drawn, singed, and trussed, for roasting in a similar way as for boiling, but without pushing the legs under the thighs, butter a sheet of paper as well as the breast of the chicken ; fold the sheet of paper over, tie it round with string, and set it to roast before a moderate fire for about thirty-five minutes. When the chicken is done untie the string ; dish up ; strain, and free the gravy from grease ; pour it over the chicken ; garnish round with water-cress, previously sprinkled with salt, pepper, and vinegar, and serve. Note, — Rashers of bacon fried and Bread sauce are sometimes served with roast chicken. 621. CHICKEN WITH MAYONNAISE SAUCE.