DAILY DINNERS

Put the chicken on a board with the neck end facing towards you and snip off any string holding the chicken together. Lift up the flap of skin around the neck and use a small sharp knife to cut away and remove the wishbone, working as close to the bone as possible.

Take a chopping knife and cut the legs and thighs off each side and pull off the skin, then put them to one side. Working from the backbone, cut down one side to carefully remove one of the breasts, keeping the wing attached at the bottom. Do the same on the other side. Pull the skin off the chicken breasts and discard. Cut through the joint halfway through the wing to remove the tip, then slice from the top down, around the bone to remove the skin and flesh from the bone. Slice a thin piece off each knuckle so that the bone stands up.

Pop the chicken pieces into a large non-stick pan and pour enough cold water in to cover the joints. (You can save the bits of chicken that you’re not using to make a stock – wrap up, label and freeze for up to 3 months.) Add the celery, onion, leek, peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves and garlic. Cover and place over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 20 minutes to poach the chicken until it’s cooked through.

Lift the chicken out of the pan onto a warm plate. Strain the stock into a bowl and discard the vegetables, herbs and spices.

Set the pan back on the hob over a low to medium heat and add half of the butter. Once it has melted and is foaming, whisk in the flour and cook for a minute, then whisk in the wine, 300ml of the reserved stock and the cream. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce is smooth. Add the remaining butter and allow to melt, then whisk this in to finish the sauce. Season.

Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer for a minute or two to heat through, then stir in the grapes and sprinkle over the tarragon and serve.