Poularde à l'Orientale

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6 to 8 quart (5.7 to 7.6 L) snug stockpot with lid
• •2 quart (1.9 L) heavy saucepan
• •10 inch (25 cm) wide sauté pan
• •Sturdy poultry shears
• •Sharp boning or carving knife
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Large oven-safe oval serving platter
• •Kitchen twine or poultry skewers

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the saffron pilaf

   Steep the saffron in the hot water for 10 minutes, then stir it so the colour is evenly distributed. Reserve one-third of this infusion for the sauce. Melt the pilaf butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, add the onion with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and cook without colouring until translucent. Add the drained rice and nacrer it, coating and stirring the grains until their edges look pearly, about 2 minutes. Pour in 1¼ cups (300 ml / 300 g) of the stock and two-thirds of the saffron infusion, then add another ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of white pepper. Bring it just to a simmer, cover tightly, and cook over the lowest heat for 14 minutes. Turn off the heat and rest, still covered, for 10 minutes. Do not stir once the liquid has gone in; whole, separate grains are the principle carrying this dish.

   If the rice is still firm after its rest, sprinkle over 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) hot stock, cover, and return it to low heat for 3 minutes. Do not beat or mash it.
2. 2

   Cool, stuff, and truss

   Spread the pilaf gently over a wide tray and cool it until no longer warm, about 20 minutes. It should weigh close to 1 lb (454 g), the home-scaled amount retained from the original formula. Pat the poularde dry inside and out, then season the cavity and skin with 2 teaspoons of the salt and half the remaining white pepper. Spoon the pilaf loosely into the body cavity without pressing it down. Close the opening with skewers or kitchen twine and truss the legs. A tightly packed bird heats too slowly at its centre, so let the rice sit generously but never compressed.

3. 3

   Poach at a tremble

   Warm the remaining stock with the bouquet garni in a snug stockpot to 180°F (82°C). Lower in the stuffed poularde breast-side up; the liquid should cover it by about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring the stock back to a bare tremble, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and poach gently for 70 to 90 minutes. Never let it boil. The poularde is ready when both the innermost thigh and the centre of the rice register at least 165°F (74°C). If the stock begins boiling, pull the pot off the heat, add a small ladle of cool stock, and lower the flame before returning it. A brief boil is not a verdict. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Butter-stew the chow-chow

   While the poularde poaches, cut one chow-chow lengthwise into slices about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick and cut the second into four even quarters. Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the chow-chow butter in a wide sauté pan. Add the quarters with ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) stock taken from the poaching pot, cover, and cook gently for 10 minutes. Add the slices, cover again, and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, until both shapes are tender but still hold clean edges. Uncover, add the remaining tablespoon of butter and ¼ teaspoon salt, then turn the pieces carefully until glazed. If the pan dries before the vegetable is tender, add another spoonful of stock rather than letting the butter scorch.

5. 5

   Build the Béchamel

   Warm the milk in a small saucepan. In a second saucepan, melt the Béchamel butter over medium-low heat, stir in the flour, and cook the roux for 2 minutes without allowing it to colour. Add the warm milk in three additions, whisking each one smooth before adding the next. Simmer gently for 8 minutes, stirring into the corners, until the Béchamel coats the back of a spoon but still pours freely. Whisk in the tomato sauce and reserved saffron infusion, then season with ¾ teaspoon salt and the remaining white pepper. The finished sauce should be coral-gold, not aggressively red. If it is lumpy, pass it through a fine sieve; if too thick, loosen it with warm poaching stock one spoonful at a time; if thin, simmer it a little longer. Ça se rattrape. Keep it warm over the faintest heat with a buttered piece of parchment touching the surface.

6. 6

   Rest the poularde

   Lift the poularde from the stock with two sturdy spoons supporting it from beneath, taking care not to pierce the rice-filled cavity. Let it drain, breast-side up, on a rimmed board for 10 minutes. Strain and save the poaching stock for another meal. Meanwhile, warm a large oven-safe platter in a 170°F (75°C) oven. This gentle warming replaces the brigade's hot service ledge and keeps the reconstructed bird ready for the table without browning its sauce.

7. 7

   Remove the suprêmes

   Snip the trussing twine but leave the legs in place. With a sharp knife, cut along one side of the keel bone, then sweep the blade against the ribs to lift away the first suprême, the whole breast fillet, keeping it intact. Repeat on the other side. Cover both suprêmes loosely with buttered parchment so their surfaces do not dry while you open the breast cage.

8. 8

   Lift the breast bones

   Hold the poularde steady and use poultry shears to snip through the exposed rib bones on both sides, keeping the tips shallow and angled away from the stuffing. Cut around the wishbone and lift the breast cage upward as one cap. Do not drive the scissors into the pilaf and do not stir the exposed rice. If the cage resists, find and snip the remaining joint instead of prying; the rice must remain whole. Transfer the opened poularde carefully to the warmed platter.

9. 9

   Reconstruct and sauce

   Spoon enough tomato-saffron Béchamel over the exposed pilaf to coat it lightly. Slice each suprême diagonally across the grain into pieces about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. Rebuild the breast over the rice, returning the slices to their original shape and placing one butter-stewed chow-chow slice between each pair. Coat the reconstructed poularde with more Béchamel, allowing the contours of the meat and rice to remain visible, then arrange the four chow-chow quarters around it. Do not put the platter under a broiler; this sauce is meant to gleam, not gratinate.

10. 10

    Serve from the platter

    Bring the poularde to the table at once, with any remaining Béchamel and chow-chow served separately. Give each guest sliced suprême or dark meat, a generous spoonful of intact saffron pilaf, a piece of buttered chow-chow, and enough sauce to bind the plate. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •A true poularde can be difficult to find. A plump roasting hen of the same weight is the honest home equivalent, and careful poaching matters more than pedigree. Choose a bird that fits your stockpot closely, because a wide pot demands far more stock.
• •The chow-chow named in the source is chayote, also sold as christophine or vegetable pear. Look for firm, unwrinkled fruit at Caribbean, Latin American, or Asian markets; the flavour should be mild and fresh, with enough structure to survive butter-stewing.
• •Use a plain, smooth tomato sauce without garlic, herbs, or sweetness. Its purpose is to colour and gently sharpen the Béchamel, not turn the dish into tomato chicken.
• •Poultry shears are not optional decoration here. Their short, controlled cut lets you lift the breast cage without digging into the pilaf, which a large knife cannot do safely.
• •A full, dry white wine with good acidity suits the saffron, butter, and mild tomato. Serve it cool rather than icy, and let the reconstructed poularde remain the centre of the table.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken stock and plain tomato sauce can be prepared up to two days ahead and kept cold. Bring the stock to poaching temperature before lowering in the stuffed bird.
• •The saffron pilaf can be cooked on the morning of service. Cool it quickly on a tray, refrigerate it covered, and take it out 20 minutes before stuffing so it loses its deep chill without sitting warm for long.
• •The Béchamel can be made up to 3 hours ahead. Press buttered parchment against its surface, keep it cold, then reheat slowly with a spoonful of milk or stock to restore its pouring consistency.
• •Do not slice or reconstruct the poularde in advance. The suprêmes lose moisture quickly once removed, while freshly assembled slices remain tender beneath the warm sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 700g)