Easy chicken-in-a-pot with greviche

This 'one pot' recipe for boiled chicken is a great stress-free alternative to roast chicken. The greviche makes a delicious, tangy accompaniment and is a refreshing change from bread-sauce. The ingredients below are just a suggestion - be creative! The beauty of cooking the chicken like this is that the vegetables are all cooked in the pot and only very roughly chopped - no worries about getting everything ready at the same time. It's proper, hearty peasant cooking - and I mean that nicely!
It is worth spending more on a better quality chicken if you can afford to; to me the meat always seems to go further with a free-range bird. Left-over cold chicken is a favourite with all the family, we pretty much fight over it!


Ingredients, serves 4:
1 large, good quality chicken (I always buy the biggest I can)
1 packet of stuffing mix or make your own (I'll write about this tomorrow).
2 slices smoked bacon
1 onion (essential), quartered through the base so the quarters stay together
Seasonal vegetables - I used:
1 stock cube
Bunch of spring onions, trimmed
4 carrots, peeled
1 savoy cabbage, quartered
Potatoes, enough for four people, peeled and cut only if needed.

Leeks, shallots, garlic and pretty much any vegetable would also be delicious.

Greviche
1 hard boiled egg
1tbsp capers
1 tbsp cornichons / mini gherkins
1tbsp parsley
Mustard to taste - French or English

First make up the stuffing according to the instructions and stuff the chicken. Press it in firmly but no need to be neat. Put the chicken (breast down), bacon, onions and stock cube in a large pan (it will need a lid later). Add boiling water so that the chicken is submerged, it may float a bit, don't worry. Chuck in the carrots and spring onions. Bring to the boil on the hot plate of the aga or hob, then put the lid on and put the pan in the top oven for about 40 minutes. 180 degrees C in an electric oven.
Start making the greviche if you are going to - see below!
After 40 minutes check the chicken and add the potatoes and cabbage (or any other veggies that won't appreciate being boiled for an hour). Return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Check again, if the potatoes are cooked get the chicken out and place on carving board and check if it is done, pull the legs away from the body, the juices should be clear. Stab a knife into the breast and check if the juices are clear. If the chicken needs more time then return to the oven. If you are worried that the potatoes are going to overcook, scoop them out and place in a dish covered with tin foil to keep warm. I sometimes give the chicken a 10 minute blast on a roasting tray in the top oven to 'finish it off' and crispen the skin.
Once the chicken is done scoop out all the vegetables and serve from a large, warm serving dish. It's a great 'help yourself' dish - make sure you tell everyone what veggies they are looking for! You may like to use plates with quite high sides or even pasta bowls. Carve the chicken and serve - don't forget the stuffing! A good dollop of the greviche and some homemade sourdough bread to mop up the juices go perfectly. There will be masses of liquid left in the pan - great for making stock!

To make the greviche:
Simply whizz all the ingredients except the mustard to form a smooth paste. Add the mustard a little at a time, mix, taste and add more if needed. Don't add to much to start with - you can't take it out but you can increase it!