While aspic is made from a rich broth that doesn’t require any additional thickeners, its “restaurant rival,” known as jellied meat, involves the use of gelatin in the recipe. This shortcut not only reduces cooking time to a minimum but also achieves a more polished presentation for the dish.
Ingredients (for 8 servings): 1 chicken; 60 g gelatin; 1 onion; 1 carrot; 1.2 liters of water; garlic to taste; parsley to taste; black peppercorns to taste; bay leaf to taste; salt to taste.
Place the cleaned chicken in a pot and cover it with cold water. Add the peeled vegetables (onion and carrot), bring to a boil over high heat.
Skim off any foam, season with salt, and add the bay leaf and peppercorns. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for an hour and a half.
Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the broth and separate the meat from the bones.
Take out the vegetables from the broth. They won’t be needed for the dish, but you can use the carrot for garnish.
Strain the broth, leaving 1.2 liters for the recipe; the excess can be used for other dishes like sauces or mashed potatoes.
Mix some of the hot broth with the gelatin until it dissolves. Strain the broth again.
Peel and crush the garlic, add it to the broth, and stir in the dissolved gelatin. Mix thoroughly and season with salt.
Place pieces of chicken into bowls or molds and pour the gelatin broth over the meat. Allow the jellied chicken to cool completely, then refrigerate.
After a few hours, the jellied chicken is ready to serve—pair it with horseradish.
Life Hack
Underneath the clear broth, you can add more than just chicken: before it sets, place a hard-boiled egg cut in half (with the yolk facing up), canned green peas, or creatively cut boiled carrots from the broth into the dish. However, keep in mind that adding carrots may cause the jellied meat to spoil faster than if you leave them out.