*PC Vulcan Chicken

*Pressure Cooker. (You can prepare this dish without pressure by simmering at boiling point for about three times as long as the pressure cooker in step 20.)


The Ingredients (for 6 servings):

• 200 g (or 7 oz) of salt pork
• 1 medium onion, weighing approximately 350 g (or 12  oz)
• 2 to 5 carrots, weighing approximately 570 g (or 1¼ lb)
• 6 shallots, weighing approximately 170 g (or 6 oz)
• 4 garlic cloves, weighing approximately 20 g (or ¾ oz)
• 1 chicken, cut into serving-size pieces (or the equivalent weight of chicken legs or breasts)
• 8 g (or 1 tablespoon) of freshly ground black pepper
• 300 ml (or 1¼ cups) of white wine
• 230 g (or 1 cup) of French green lentils, preferably imported from the origin: Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire, France
• 240 ml (or 1 cup) of chicken broth, preferably home-made
• 15 g (or ½ oz) of fresh herbs, or the dried equivalent (I used rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves)
• 45 ml (or 3 tablespoons) of Dijon mustard
• Cooking grade olive oil

The Method:

1. Dice the salt pork finely.
2. Cut the onion into 1-cm (or ⅜-inch) cubes.
3. Peel and slice the carrots into rounds.
4. Peel the shallots and slice them in half across the rings.
5. Peel and crush the garlic cloves or force them through a garlic press.
6. Tie the herbs together with a piece of string.
7. Cut the chicken into about 12 pieces: 2 wings, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, and 4 to 6 serving-size sections of breast. 
8. Wash the chicken pieces, pat them dry, and season them with the black pepper.
   
9. Place the base of the pressure cooker on the stove and add enough olive oil to thinly coat the bottom of the pan.
10. Heat the pan to medium, and add the salt pork.
    
11. Stir the salt pork frequently and cook until it turns a golden brown.
12. Remove the salt pork and set it aside.
    
13. Pour off all you can of the rendered pork fat and return the pan to the stove.
14. If necessary, add a little more olive oil then place the onion, carrot, and shallot into the pan and stir frequently until the onion is translucent.
15. Add the garlic and stir frequently until it starts to smell toasty.
16. Remove the vegetables and set them aside.
17. Add the chicken pieces, skin-side down, to the pan and allow them to brown for several minutes before turning them and browning them on the other side also.
18. Add the wine, and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. 
19. Add the lentils, salt pork, vegetables, chicken broth, herbs, and about one-third of the mustard and stir briefly.
    
20. Following manufacturer's instructions, cover the pressure cooker and cook the chicken at high pressure (100 kPa, or 15 psi) for 12 minutes.
21. Following manufacturer's instructions, reduce pressure as quickly as possible.
22. Remove the lid, and return the pressure cooker base to medium heat on the stove; simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes to reduce and thicken the liquid.
    
23. Remove the herbs and add the remainder of the mustard, stirring to distribute it evenly.

The Story:

This is an adaptation of a recipe by Katrina Woodman on taste.com.au.