CHICKEN CHARTRES
Makes 5 servings
3 (3 to 3-1/2 pound) chickens
4 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic
1-1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Vegetable oil for deep frying
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 ounces sliced bacon, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 ounces ham, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup chicken stock or water
1 recipe Barnaise Sauce (recipe follows)
6 eggs
Cut the leg-thigh pieces from the chickens and debone along the length of the bones, leaving meat in one piece with the skin on. Debone the breasts lengthwise so you get two breast pieces per chicken, with the skin on. To prepare each half-chicken, use one breast and one leg piece. In a
roasting pan lay each leg (skin side up) on top of a breast (skin side up); tuck the edges of the leg meat and skin under the breast piece to form what will appear to be one piece of chicken. Generously season chicken "halves" on both sides with a total of 2 tablespoons plus 1/2
teaspoon of the Poultry Magic, patting it in by hand. Plump up each piece so it is neatly formed and rounded with the skinside up. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the onions and 1 stick of the butter (in chunks) in the bottom of the roasting pan around the chicken. Set aside.
Heat the oil to 350 and fry the potatoes in small batches until they start to brown but are not completely cooked, about 5 minutes. (Adjust heat as necessary to maintain oil's temperature at about 350.) Drain on paper towels, then place the potatoes in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle
the potatoes evenly with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoon of the Poultry Magic and set aside.
In a large skillet fry the bacon over high heat until brown. Add the ham and cook for 3 to 5 minutes stirring frequently. Stir in the remaining 1 cup onions and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and with a slotted spoon, spoon the bacon mixture on top of
the potatoes. Add the stock and 2 tablespoons of the butter; stir until well mixed. Place the pans containing the potatoes and the reserve chicken in the oven and bake at 400 until the chicken is done, about 35 to 40 minutes. (Stir the potatoes about every 10 minutes.) Meanwhile, make the Barnaise
sauce and set aside. When the chicken and potatoes are done, remove pans from oven. Transfer chicken to a heated platter and set aside. Spoon the potatoes into the pan containing the chicken drippings and toss the potatoes to coat them with the drippings; set aside.
Heat the serving plates in a 250 oven. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and the remaining 2 teaspoons Poultry Magic together with a metal whisk until frothy, about 30 seconds. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet (preferably a nonstick type) over high heat. Add about
two-thirds of the egg mixture to the skillet, then with a slotted spoon add the potato mixture to the pan, and then the remaining egg mixture on top of the potatoes. Cook until the omelet is done (or you may scramble the mixture if preferred). Remove from heat and cut the omelet into 6 wedges
(or divide the scrambled eggs into 6 portions). Serve immediately. To serve, for each serving place a wedge or portion of the eggs on a heated serving plate; arrange a "half" chicken on top of the eggs and then spoon about 1/4 cup of the Barnaise Sauce over the top.
BARNAISE SAUCE
Makes about 1-2/3 cups
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
6 tablespoons margarine
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons white wine
1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves
1/2 teaspoon Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic
4 egg yolks
2-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Pepper Sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Melt the butter and margarine in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat. Raise heat and bring to a rapid boil. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes. Skim froth from the top and discard. Pour into a large glass measuring cup and set aside. In a separate 1-quart saucepan combine 3 tablespoons of the
wine, the tarragon and the Poultry Magic. Cook over high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool 5 minutes. In a medium-size stainless steel mixing bowl or the top of a double boiler, combine the remaining 2 teaspoon wine, the cooled
tarragon mixture and all the remaining ingredients. Mix together with a metal whisk until frothy, about 1 minute.
Place bowl over a pan of slowly simmering (not boiling) water. (Bowl must never touch the water.) Vigorously whisk egg mixture, picking up the bowl frequently to let the steam escape; whip until the egg mixture is very light and creamy and has a sheen, about 5 to 7 minutes. (This amount of
beating is important so that the cooked eggs will hold the butter.) Remove bowl from the pan of hot water. Gradually ladle about 1/4 cup of butter mixture (use the top butterfat, not the butter solids on the bottom) into the egg mixture while vigorously whipping the sauce; make sure the butter
you add is well mixed into the sauce before adding more. Continue gradually adding the surface butterfat until you've added about 1 cup.
So that you can get to the butter solids, ladle out and reserve about 1/2 cup surface butterfat in a separate container. (The butter solids add flavor and also thin the sauce.) Gradually ladle all but 1/3 cup of the bottom solids into the sauce, whisking well. (Use any remaining bottom solids
in another dish.) Then gradually whisk in enough of the reserved top butterfat to produce a fairly thick sauce. (The butterfat thickens the sauce, so you may not need to use it all.) Keep the sauce in a warm place until ready to serve.
Copyright 1991 by Paul Prudhomme
