Slow Cooker Chicken and Veggies With Lemon Tarragon Mayonnaise

JustaQT's Note:

You need a pretty large slow cooker for this recipe.

• Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

Chicken and Veggies

• 1 large stewing chicken
• 1 large onions (reserve the skin and put in cheesecloth below, adds good color to the broth) or 1 large yellow onion, cut into wedges (reserve the skin and put in cheesecloth below, adds good color to the broth)
• 1 large turnip, cut into wedges
• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced thickly
• 2 lbs red potatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 lb portabella mushroom, sliced thickly
• 1 -2 large parsnip, peeled and sliced thickly
• 5 -6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 sprigs dill

Tie in a piece of cheesecloth

• 2 -3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh sage
• 1 lemon, zest of, peeled off in large strips
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 4 whole allspice
• 4 whole coriander seeds
• 2 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 whole cardamom pod, cracked

Lemon Tarragon Mayonnaise

• 1 soft hard-boiled egg, room temperature
• 1 lemon, juice and pulp of
• 1/2 lemon, zest of, minced or grated
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard or 1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup french fresh tarragon leaves
• 3/4-1 cup olive oil (or blend of olive and safflower oils, to taste)

Directions:

1. Chicken and Veggies:
2. Thoroughly wash the chicken inside and out, taking especial care to clean out clumps of blood in the cavities
3. Reserve the giblets for another use
4. If you can get the feet, clean them and add them to the pot; they add a wonderful richness to the broth
5. Put the cheesecloth bundle into the cavity along with some of the garlic
6. Scatter the slices of one of the carrots on the bottom of the slow cooker and put the chicken on top of it
7. Put the rest of the ingredients around the pot
8. Add enough water and/or dry white wine to come halfway up the sides of the pot
9. Cover tightly and cook on high for at least 4 hours or medium for at least 6 hours, depending on the size of your chicken
10. Meanwhile, make the lemon tarragon mayonnaise
11. Lemon Tarragon Mayonnaise:
12. Be sure to use French tarragon and not any other kind
13. You really will notice the difference in flavor
14. Place all the ingredients except the oil in a blender or food processor and whiz until smooth
15. Start adding the oil a drop at a time, allowing it to emulsify
16. After you have added a good soupspoonful of oil to the mixture, you can start adding it in a thin stream
17. Keep adding the oil until the mayonnaise thickens enough to make a slurping noise (if using a blender, this sound does not happen in a food processor)
18. Taste and adjust seasoning
19. Chill until ready to use
20. When the chicken is tender and done, remove it from the slow cooker and Let it rest at least 15 minutes
21. If you plan to chill it, do so
22. Remove the vegetables and let them cook to the extent you want, or keep warm
23. Take the cheesecloth out of the cavity of the chicken and squeeze it Into the soup to get all the flavor out of ut
24. Defat the broth
25. Cook some super fine egg noodles to add to the soup
26. Use some of the broth the braise the escarole
27. Remove the chicken from the bones when it is at the temperature you want and arrange it with the vegetables on a large platter
28. Depending on the size of you platter, you can also put the escarole there or on a separate one
29. Nap with the lemon tarragon mayonnaise and serve the rest of the mayonnaise on the side