SERVES 4 TO 6 / TIME: ABOUT 1½ HRS
Start with one chicken, a whole chicken, the best quality you can find (free range, running around eating beetles and seeds) to get real flavor. It’s even better if it isn’t packaged in parts, as a whole chicken is more beautiful and more economical. But remember that even a “whole” chicken in the market isn’t really whole. It is missing the feet, head, and feathers, but will often contain the inner organs. Check with your farmer or butcher to be sure.
1 whole 3- to 4-pound chicken
1 lemon, quartered
3 rosemary sprigs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons, plus ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
Chicken kidneys, liver, and heart from the chicken cavity (often referred to as giblets, along with the neck and the gizzard)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 bunch parsley stems, chopped (keep the leaves for serving)
Leaves from 6 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 to 6 eggs (one per person)
Parsley leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Wild herbs: lambsquarter, shiso
To roast the chicken: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the quartered lemon and rosemary. Brush the outside of the chicken with the oil and sprinkle with the salt. Place in a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour, until the juices run clear.
To start the sauce: In a small pan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the kidneys, liver, and heart and the shallot and sauté for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the parsley stems and the thyme and stir for another minute. Transfer to a blender and set aside.
When the chicken is done, let it rest for about 15 minutes.
To finish the sauce: Spoon the juices from the bottom of the roasting pan, scraping up the fatty and brown bits from the bottom, and transfer to the blender. Remove the skin from the chicken and add to the blender. Dice the remaining 1 stick butter and add to the blender along with the lemon juice and salt. Blend on high, until smooth.
To poach the eggs: Fill a wide saucepan halfway with water and add the vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat so that the water is gently simmering. Crack one egg into a small bowl. Gently pour the egg into the water, following with the other eggs. Poach for about 5 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are just set.
To serve: Roughly shred the breast and other meat into large chunks, and arrange on a serving platter, with the wings and thighs.
With a large slotted spoon, gently remove each egg from the pan and set on top of the chicken chunks. Top with the skin and innards sauce and finish with the parsley leaves, salt, pepper, and lemon to taste. I also like to use baby lambsquarters and shiso leaves to finish.
NOTE:
Save the bones and gristly leftovers to make a nice chicken stock (here).