Chicken à la d'Albufera

Directions
A classic Spanish dish of boned chicken with saffron that deserves a much wider audience than it currently has.

Ingredients

 * 2.5 kg chicken
 * 2 chicken livers, 1 chicken heart (giblets should be in a bag within the chicken)
 * 40 g unsalted butter
 * 60 g white rice
 * 35 ml white wine
 * 35 ml white vermouth
 * 430 ml chicken stock
 * generous pinch of saffron
 * 6 cardamom pods, cracked
 * 1 bay leaf
 * 1 egg
 * salt and pepper to taste
 * 2 peeled carrots, diced
 * 2 peeled onions, sliced
 * 1 stick celery, diced
 * 1 clove garlic, minced
 * 4 cracked cardamom pods
 * 1 bay leaf
 * 50 ml white wine
 * breastbones from the chicken

Directions

 * 1) Chop the livers and heart into small pieces then fry with a little butter in a heavy-bottomed pot for about a minute.
 * 2) Transfer to a plate then melt the remainder of the butter in the pot and use this to fry the onions over a gentle heat, until softened.
 * 3) Next add the rice and stir for two minutes.
 * 4) Add the white wine and vermouth and then the chicken stock along with the saffron, bay leaf, cardamom and a twist of black pepper.
 * 5) Cover the pot and allow the rice to cook for fifteen minutes, until it's just ready.
 * 6) Now add the fried liver and heart take off the heat and place in a bowl.
 * 7) Add the egg, mix-in thoroughly and allow to cool.
 * 8) Meanwhile begin preparing the bird by cutting out the two breasts.
 * 9) Then, with a pair of scissors cut away the exposed breastbone.
 * 10) Season the inside of the chicken liberally with salt and ground pepper.
 * 11) Spoon the cooked rice inside the bird so that the entirety of the inside of the bird is filled then replace the two breasts.
 * 12) At this stage truss the bird in several layers of muslin so that it's completely secure and the breasts are held in place.
 * 13) Place the bird in a casserole or cooking dish that's taller than the bird, add the cooking ingredients and enough water to just cover the bird.
 * 14) Bring the water to a simmer and skim-off any foam that rises to the top.
 * 15) Once the foam has stopped cover the pot and allow to cook, undisturbed, for an hour and a quarter.
 * 16) Take off the heat and allow the bird to sit for half an hour in the stock.
 * 17) De-bone the chicken and serve on a warm serving dish along with the rice (spoon the broth over the top but reserve the remainder for making saffron broth).