Peasant-Style Pot Roasted Chicken - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 slices white bread, crusts removed
3 slices streaky bacon, cut up into small pieces
6 garlic cloves (peeled)
1 onion (chopped)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped finely
4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
6 small onions or 6 small shallots, peeled & left whole
3 potatoes, peeled & cut into chunks
1 glass white wine (or a glug of sherry or brandy)
1 pint chicken stock
herbs (fresh if you have them, dried if not, I like rosemary, thyme, sage)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 whole chicken

Preparation

Preheat oven to 160 degrees centigrade.
You'll need a large lidded pot (big enough to hold a whole chicken).
Start by putting a little olive oil in the bottom of the pot. Then line the bottom with the bread slices. Sprinkle the bacon, garlic, chopped celery & carrots and whatever herbs you choose over the bread. This is forming a base for the chicken to sit on, and will later become the gravy.
Rub salt & pepper over the chicken, then place it on top of the bread & vegetables.
Place the carrots, onions & potatoes around the sides.
Pour the wine and stock over the top.
Cover & place in oven for approximately 2 hours. Check for doneness of both chicken & veg.
Remove the chicken and large vegetable chunks to an oven-proof dish, turn off the oven and place the dish back inside to keep warm while you finish off the gravy.
Leaving the gravy/veg mixture in the original pot, use a hand-held food processor to completely liquidise it, then bring it to a boil and simmer to reduce and thicken it. You can add a touch of cream at the very end if you'd like.
Carve the chicken (which will be practically falling off the bone anyway) & serve with the vegetables and gravy, along with some crusty bread.