Chicken Casserole with Green Peas

Fresh green peas were new to France in the time of La Varenne, but he had already developed the classic combination of peas with lettuce found today in petits pois à la française. His potages are not soups but substantial stews.

When your chickens are well cleaned and trussed, put them in a pot with good stock, and skim them well, then put your peas into a frying pan with butter or lard, and cook them gently with lettuces, that you have blanched (that is, put in cold w