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1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces dried egg noodles

1 tablespoon chopped dill fronds

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then the trussed chicken breast side down. Brown well for about 2 minutes, shaking and nudging to make sure the skin isn’t sticking. Turn the chicken breast side up and continue cooking until golden, turning on all sides and basting often with the pan juices, about 8 more minutes.

Transfer to a Dutch oven that will hold the bird snugly; it must not swim around. Add the carrots, leeks, celery, parsnip, and bay leaf, sticking the vegetables down around the chicken. Pour in the broth; add the salt and pepper. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.

Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook at a very slow bubble until the vegetables are tender and a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165°F (our preference) or 180°F (the USDA recommendation), 50 to 65 minutes. Using large tongs to pick up the chicken and a spatula to support it from underneath, transfer to a cutting or carving board for 10 minutes before carving. If desired, skim the fat off the broth.

Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid in the pot to a full simmer. Add the noodles and dill, stir well, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the noodles are tender, about 5 minutes. Serve in large bowls with the broth, noodles, and vegetables ladled over the cut-up pieces of chicken.

Slow cooker method:

Follow step 1. Once the chicken has been browned, place it and the remaining ingredients except for the noodles and dill in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3½ to 4 hours. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker (the bird may fall apart), pour the cooking liquid and vegetables into a large saucepan, then bring to a simmer over high heat. Add the noodles and dill, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.

If you use a larger stewer (7 to 8 pounds), truss it and brown as directed in steps 1 and 2 in a very large skillet. Transfer it to a very large Dutch oven and then add the broth (without the vegetables); you may need to use up to 10 cups broth. Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes. Then add the vegetables, salt, and pepper and continue with the recipe from step 4.

Variations: Omit the celery and parsnip and add 2 large turnips, peeled and diced, or 1 large rutabaga, peeled and diced, in their stead.

Substitute 1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves for the dill.

Finish the cooking broth with 2 teaspoons rice vinegar or lemon juice just before serving.

Chicken Halves Roasted over Squash

Here, whole chicken halves are roasted on a bed of cubed squash. If you don’t have a cleaver heavy enough to split a whole bird, ask the butcher to do it for you. Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

1 large acorn squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into very small ½-inch cubes

1 tablespoon stemmed thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

One 4-to 5-pound chicken, giblets and neck removed, then split in half from tip to tail

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until soft and aromatic, about 3 minutes.

Add the remaining tablespoon of butter, stir in the squash, and cook, stirring once in a while, until slightly softened at the edges, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the thyme, salt, and pepper; cook until aromatic, about 15 seconds. Mound the mixture in the center of a 13 × 9-inch baking pan.

Use the two halves of the chicken to form a teepee skin side up over the vegetables. Make sure no vegetable is uncovered.

Whisk the mustard and maple syrup