Braised Stuffed Chicken

Directions

1. Tie the bouquet garni ingredients together with string. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 5.
2. First make the stuffing. Clean and chop the livers, removing any green bits or possibly sinew, and wipe dry. Chop the mushrooms and one shallot finely. Remove the thyme leaves from the stems. Heat 1oz butter in a frying pan, add in the shallot and soften. Add in the livers and brown on all sides, stirring briskly. Add in the mushrooms and cook lightly. Stir in the Madeira and scrape up all the pan juices.
3. Stir in the breadcrumbs, thyme and seasoning. Add in a very little stock if needed to bind.
4. Wash the birds and pat dry. Lift the breast skin, making a pocket, and stuff with the liver mix. If there is any left over, fill the cavities of the birds. Season.
5. Chop the leeks in half, peel the carrots and chop into chunks, then peel the celeriac and chop into pcs. Leave the peeled shallots whole.
6. Heat the remaining butter in a heavy-based pan. Fry the prepared vegetables, seasoning as you go, till golden brown. Remove from the pan and reserve.
7. Fry the chicken to seal on all sides. Remove and reserve. Deglaze the pan with the red wine and chicken stock. In a large ovenproof dish or possibly baking tin, sit the prepared birds breast down with the vegetables and bouquet garni. Pour over the warm deglazed pan juices and stock.
8. Braise in a medium oven for 10 min. Remove from the oven and sit the birds on their backbones. Baste with cooking liquor.
9. Continue roasting till cooked - about another 20 min. Remove the birds and vegetables and keep hot.
10. Remove the bouquet garni and reduce the sauce till it is a syrupy consistency. Serve the chicken surrounded by vegetables and masked with the sauce.