Poached chicken with basil mayonnaise | Gourmet Traveller

Ingredients

• 250 ml verjuice (1 cup)
• 3 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 head of garlic, halved
• 6 sprigs of thyme
• 3 pieces of lemon rind, removed with a peeler
• 2 bay leaves
• Reserved from below: basil stalks
• 2 organic chickens (1.4kg each)
• To serve: picked watercress
• Basil mayonnaise
• 2 cups basil leaves, stalks reserved for poaching (firmly packed)
• 3 egg yolks
• 1½ tbsp tarragon or white wine vinegar
• 200 ml olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice