CookEat Recipe
Cloth-Wrapped Boiled Chicken
A whole chicken gently simmered in a thin cooking cloth, with the broth retained and three further preparations for boiled meat.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 prepared whole chicken, about 1.5 kg; alternatively, use a similarly sized capon or plump hen; About 3 litres drinking water, or enough to cover in the pot; About 1 teaspoon salt, adjusted to taste; A clean thin unbleached cloth specifically suitable for food preparation and plain kitchen twine.
Step 2
Remove any giblet packet from the cavity of the prepared chicken. Do not rinse the raw bird. Wrap it loosely in the clean thin food-safe cooking cloth and tie securely with kitchen twine, leaving room for water to circulate. Use no dyed, scented or chemically treated household fabric.
Step 3
Put the wrapped bird in a pot just large enough to hold it. Cover with the water and add the salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim the surface as necessary and keep simmering gently rather than boiling violently.
Step 4
Cook until the thickest breast and thigh meat reaches 82°C without the thermometer touching bone, starting checks at about 75 minutes and allowing 90 minutes or longer according to the bird. A capon or older hen may need longer to become tender. Lift carefully, drain over the pot, remove all cloth and twine and serve the plainly boiled chicken hot. Strain and retain the broth.
Step 5
For storage, carve and debone the remaining bird, divide the meat and broth into separate shallow containers and refrigerate promptly within 2 hours. Use chilled leftovers within 2–3 days. Reheat a chosen portion only once to 74°C and discard anything remaining after that reheating. The following preparations use beef. Already cooked chicken can replace the beef in the last two; reheat it only once.
Step 6
For the first preparation, use a short thick piece of raw stewing beef weighing at least 500 g. Simmer it in water or broth for about 45–60 minutes to begin tenderizing, then transfer it immediately, without cooling or storage, to a casserole containing a finely chopped mixture of 30 g cured pork belly, half an onion, half a celery stalk, half a carrot and 15 g butter. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of mixed spice. Cook until the chopped mixture softens and its fat renders, then add 150 ml tomato sauce, or 1 tablespoon tomato paste diluted in 150 ml broth. Cover and finish gently, adding broth as needed, until the beef is tender and at least 71°C, about 60–90 minutes or longer. Remove the hot beef briefly, pass the sauce through a sieve and remove excess fat. Return beef and sauce to the heat with about 15 g dried mushrooms that have been soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, drained and rinsed free of grit. Simmer another 15–20 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked, adding broth as needed. This is continuous cooking, not storage of partly cooked meat; allow about 2½–3 hours overall.
Step 7
For the English-style preparation, use 350 g fully cooked boneless beef, thinly sliced, for three people. Whisk 1 egg with 20 g flour and 200 ml milk. Melt 50 g butter in a stove-safe serving dish or ovenproof skillet, lay in the meat, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of mixed spice, and sauté both sides. Sprinkle over 1 heaped tablespoon grated Parmesan, then pour in the egg mixture. Cook gently until set and the centre reaches 74°C; cover briefly or finish in an oven at 180°C if needed, about 10–15 minutes after adding the mixture. Serve immediately. The egg mixture should be fully set.
Step 8
For the Italian-style preparation, slice 150 g small onions and begin browning them in 50 g butter. Add 350 g fully cooked boneless beef in thin slices and 1 whole unpeeled garlic clove, lightly crushed, with salt and pepper. Moisten with a little broth whenever the pan starts to dry. Cook for about 7–8 minutes or until the meat reaches 74°C, remove the garlic, then add a small pinch of chopped parsley and the juice of half a lemon. Serve immediately; allow about 25 minutes overall for the onion cooking and finish.
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