Peasant-style Pot Roasted Chicken

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 slices bread, crusts removed
• 3 slices streaky bacon, cut up into small pieces
• 6 garlic cloves (peeled)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped finely
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 6 small onions or 6 small shallots, peeled & left whole
• 3 potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks
• 1 glass wine (or a glug of sherry or brandy)
• 1 pint chicken stock
• herbs (fresh if you have them, dried if not, i like rosemary, thyme, sage)
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 whole chicken

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 160 degrees centigrade.
• 2 you'll need a large lidded pot (big enough to hold a whole chicken).
• 3 start by putting a little olive oil in the bottom of the pot. then line the bottom with the bread slices. sprinkle the bacon, garlic, chopped celery & carrots and whatever herbs you choose over the bread. this is forming a base for the chicken to sit on, and will later become the gravy.
• 4 rub salt & pepper over the chicken, then place it on top of the bread & vegetables.
• 5 place the carrots, onions & potatoes around the sides.
• 6 pour the wine and stock over the top.
• 7 cover & place in oven for approximately 2 hours. check for doneness of both chicken & veg.
• 8 remove the chicken and large vegetable chunks to an oven-proof dish, turn off the oven and place the dish back inside to keep warm while you finish off the gravy.
• 9 leaving the gravy/veg mixture in the original pot, use a hand-held food processor to completely liquidise it, then bring it to a boil and simmer to reduce and thicken it. you can add a touch of cream at the very end if you'd like.
• 10 carve the chicken (which will be practically falling off the bone anyway) & serve with the vegetables and gravy, along with some crusty bread.