Ingredients

1	onions, finely chopped		200 g
2	carrots, cut into thin rounds		200 g
1 tbsp	olive oil		15 mL
	salt to taste
	ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup	frozen peas		40 g
500 mL	Boiled Chicken (Recipe)
2 tbsp	butter, unsalted		28 g
3 tbsp	white flour (all purpose)		24 g
375 mL	Homemade Chicken Broth		1 1/2 cup
2	potatoes, peeled then grated		400 g
1 1/2 cup	Cheddar cheese, grated		120 g

Before you start

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F.
2. Prepare the vegetables: Finely chop the onion; peel the carrots then slice them into thin rounds.
3. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots, then sauté 5-6 min until they are a bit softened. Add salt and pepper, then stir in the small frozen peas and chicken pieces. Cook 3-4 min until the mixture is warmed through, then transfer it to a baking dish.
4. While the onions and carrots are cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook 2 min with stirring. Slowly add the broth with stirring and bring to a boil. Cook a few minutes until a thicker consistency is obtained, then pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetable mixture.
5. Peel the potatoes and grate them using a large holed grater. Put them in a bowl, add the grated cheese and mix, then spread the mixture on top of the prepared baking dish. Put the dish in the oven immediately after this step, to avoid darkening the potatoes.
6. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 min. For a nice golden-brown crust, turn on the top broiler for the last 2 min. Serve.

Ingredients

2	onions, cut into quarters		400 g
3	cloves		0.1 g
1	leeks, cut into large chunks		300 g
2	carrots, cut in half		200 g
2 stalks	celery, cut in half		140 g
1	chicken, whole		1.4 kg
2	bay leaf		0.4 g
12 cups	water, 5-6 cm above the chicken		3 L
1/2 tsp	peppercorns		2 g
3/4 tsp	salt		4 g
	cheesecloth

Method

1. Prepare the vegetables. Cut the onions into quarters and stick the cloves into one of the quarters. Cut the leek into large chunks. Cut the carrots and celery stalks in half.
2. Place the vegetables, bay leaves and whole chicken (without the giblets!) into a pot. Add cold water to cover (5-6 cm above the chicken). Add peppercorns and salt (not too much, you can always add more later on). Bring to a boil. Reduce to a very gentle simmer: liquid should just bubble up to the surface. Cook, uncovered, for 1 h. A skin will form on the surface of the liquid; skim this off with a slotted or a regular spoon and discard.
3. Remove the chicken and pick off the meat. Reserve the chicken meat in a tight container, covered with some of the broth. Let cool down a few minutes then put the container in the refrigerator.
4. Adjust the seasoning of the broth and return the carcass to the pot. Simmer uncovered another ½ h, turn off the heat and when the broth is cool enough to work with, strain it through a sieve or a colander lined with cheesecloth, discarding the carcass, herbs, and vegetables. Transfer to airtight containers and refrigerate. Leave any remaining fat in the broth as a protective cover. You can skim this off when you use the broth.

Remarks