Hen in Broth

Harleian Ms. 4016:
65. Gelyne in brothe. Take rawe hennes, chop hem, caste hem into a potte; cast to fresshe broth Wyne, parcelly, oynons myced, powder of peper, clowes, Maces, saffroun, and salt; then stepe brede with vinegre and the same broth, and draw hit thorgh a streynour, and cast it thereto, and let boyle ynough; and caste thereto pouder ginger, and sesone hit vp, & serue forth.

Redaction:

5 lbs chicken parts (we used thighs for the first batch, and if you are not going to remove the chicken from the bones, they make a nice neat package), skinned
Enough good Chicken stock/broth to cover (about 2 large cans of College Inn Broth)
2-3 onions, chopped fine
1 bunch parsley, leaves only, chopped fine.
15-20 cloves
2-3 whole maces, or 1/2 to 3/4 tsp ground
4-5 strands saffron
1 to 1.5 cup white wine
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Pepper and salt

Put the chicken parts in a stockpot and add the stock. Bring to a boil. Wait for the chicken fat to come to the top and coalesce; skim off chicken fat. Add onions, parsley, saffron, mace, cloves, and wine. Simmer until chicken is cooked (at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours). Broth should taste agreeably of spices and have a 'bite' to it-- season with a little pepper and salt to bring out the flavor. At this point, you can pull out the chicken pieces, strip off the meat, and return the meat to the broth if you wish; you can also choose to leave the chicken pieces whole. Soak bread crumbs in vinegar, then add the mixture to the soup. Right before serving, add the ground ginger.

All materials copyright Jennifer Heise or original authors as otherwise specified. Permission is granted for use as printed handouts and for cooking as long as you let me know (jenne.heise@gmail.com) and if you republish, get me a copy. My homepage: http://www.gallowglass.org/jadwiga