Chicken chasseur

Cut up the chicken: separate the leg quarters, then drum from thigh; debone the thighs; lever out the wishbone and take off each breast with its wing.

Clean the drumsticks down to the bone and pop off the ankle; cut the wings below the humerus to leave airline breasts. Freeze the carcass and scraps for stock.

Season both sides with pepper and salt and coat in flour, leaving extra flour on the board.

Coat the widest pan with olive oil over very high heat and lay the chicken in skin side down.

Slice the mushrooms, cut the carrots into thin rounds and chop the shallot on the floured board.

Flip when the chicken releases easily and brown the other side without cooking it through; stop before the bottom of the pan starts to burn. Take the chicken out.

Cook the vegetables with the board flour, adding more oil or butter if needed, until lightly coloured and the mushrooms shrink by about half.

Deglaze with dry vermouth until the bottom of the pan is clean.

Return the chicken; add V8 juice about two-thirds of the way up the chicken and a few cubes of demi-glace.

Simmer uncovered, flipping the chicken a few times or covering to cook the top, a little over an hour, until the dark meat's muscles just start pulling apart; about half an hour gives just-done chicken.

Boil egg noodles toward the end.

Taste; season with plenty of pepper and a little salt; add butter, torn parsley, a few sage leaves and tarragon, melting the butter gently to keep the emulsion; finish with a squeeze of lemon.

Serve with the noodles on the side and a little sauce spooned over.