Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs)
• salt
• olive oil
• 3 carrots, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
• 2 small onions, peeled and quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled and halved
• 2 bouillon cubes (optional) or 2 teaspoons , boullion paste (optional)
• 4 cloves
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 peppercorns
• 1 european bay leaf
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons butter
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb potato, peeled and cut into bite size pieces

Instructions

1. Put the chicken in a large pot and fill pot with cold water until the chicken is completely covered.

2. Salt the water and bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Immediately turn the water off, pour off the water and set the chicken on a paper towel and pat dry. Rinse the pot.

4. Salt the chicken. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot over medium high heat and brown the chicken on all sides. Set the chicken aside once again.

5. Add the carrot, celery, onion, and garlic to the pot with more oil if needed. Saute approximately 4 minutes until the some of the vegetables begin to brown.

6. Deglaze the bottom of the pot with a small amount of water and increase the heat to high. Place the chicken back in the pot and cover with water once again.

7. Add the boullion, cloves, thyme, peppercorns and bay and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 40-50 minutes.

8. While the chicken is simmering, boil the potatoes in salted water with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil added for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain potatoes and set aside.

9. Remove the chicken from the water and set aside to cool. Pour 3 cups of the cooking liquid through a thin mesh strainer and keep warm in a small saucepan.

10. Once the chicken has cooled a bit, carve it and cut it into bite size pieces and place them in a bowl, putting any skin, scraps and the leftover carcass back into the large pot with the remaining cooking liquid (simmer this for a few more hours and you will have roughly a gallon of beautiful chicken stock).

11. In a 3 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour. Reduce the heat to low and cook this roux for about 5 minutes.

12. Remove the roux pan from heat and pour in reserved warm cooking liquid whisking continuously. Set over medium heat and add the paprika and season with pepper. Continue whisking until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens enough to lightly coat a spoon.

13. Add 1/4 cup of the heavy cream and bring to a boil again, whisking frequently.

14. Season the sauce with salt and more pepper if desired, stirring after each addition. This step may be the most important in the recipe; get the seasoning right!

15. Add more heavy cream if necessary until a spoon dipped in the sauce has a thick coating when removed. It should be velvety and smooth but not quite as thick as a cheese sauce.

16. Add the chicken and potatoes and simmer for 3 minutes to warm them up.

17. Serve in shallow bowls with a side of crusty baguette or over rice. Garnish with a few fresh herbs to dress it up.