A 4½-to 5-pound roasting chicken ¼ tsp crumbled dried thyme
3 large onions, peeled and cut 1½ tsp salt
crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices Freshly ground black pepper
1 c coarsely chopped celery, 1 quart plus 2 T water
including the green leaves 2 T butter
4 sprigs fresh parsley and 1 small 6 T flour
bay leaf tied together with ½ tsp ground white pepper
kitchen string
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Remove the chunks of fat from the cavity of the chicken, cut them into
small bits and reserve them. Truss the bird securely and place it in a heavy
7- to 8-quart (preferably oval-shaped) casserole. Scatter the onions, celery,
parsley and bay leaf, thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grindings of pepper
around the chicken and pour in 1 quart of water.Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and place the lid on the casserole. Poach the chicken for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. To test for doneness, pierce the thigh of the bird with the point of a small, sharp knife. The juice that trickles out should be a clear yellow; if it is slightly pink, poach the bird for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a platter and strain the cooking stock through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing down hard on the vegatables and herbs with the back of a spoon to extract all their juices before discarding them. Measure and reserve 2½ cups of the stock. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and pull the meat from the bones with your fingers or a small knife. Discard the skin and bones and cut the meat into 1-inch pieces.
Drop the reserved bits of chicken fat into a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, add 2 tablespoons of water and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently. When the bits have rendered all their fat, remove them from the skillet with a slotted spoon and discard them.
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the chicken fat and melt over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, stir in 6 tablespoons of flour and mix to a smooth paste. Pour in the 2½ cups of reserved chicken stock and, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, cook over high heat until the sauce comes to a boil, thickens heavily and is smooth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for about 5 minutes.
Stir in ½ tsp of salt and the white pepper and taste for seasoning. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the chicken pieces and toss together gently but thoroughly. Pour the entire contents of the pan into a 7-by-7-by-2-inch baking-serving dish and spread the pieces of chicken evenly over the bottom of the dish.
BISCUITS
2 to 2¼ c all-purpose flour melted
1 T double-acting baking powder 2 T lard, chilled and cut into
1 tsp salt ¼-inch bits
2 T butter, chilled and cut into ½ c cold milk
¼-inch bits plus ¼ c butter,
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To prepare the biscuits, preheat the oven to 450°. Combine 2 cups of
flour, the baking powder and 1 teaspoon of salt and sift them into a large
chilled bowl. Add the butter bits and lard and, with your fingertips, rub
the flour and fat together until they look like flakes of coarse meal. Pour
in the milk and beat with a wooden spoon until the dough is smooth and can
be gathered into a fairly dry, compact ball. If the dough remains moist and
sticky, beat in up to ¼ cup more flour by the tablespoonful.Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rough rectangle about about 1/3 inch thick. With a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, cut the dough into 2-inch round biscuits. Gather the scraps together, roll them out again and cut out as many more rounds as you can. Ideally you should have about 12 biscuits.
Place the biscuits side by side over the chicken in the baking dish, arranging them so that they cover the top completely. Brush the biscuits with the melted butter and bake in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the biscuits have puffed and are golden brown. Serve at once, directly from the baking dish. Serves 4 to 6.
