If you rush home from shopping in France  with a huge chicken don't even think about just popping it in the oven.  Chances are that you might have bought a mature bird that will not cook quickly. I like use a dutch oven for a whole chicken. If you have a clay pot you need to soak the pot in water before you start but you can use any lidded oven dish if you don’t have one. Start by seasoning the chicken well inside and out with fresh ground black pepper and flaked sea salt and place it in the pot. Cut a lemon in half, squeeze both halves over the chicken then tuck them side the body cavity. Pour over 500 ml of hot chicken stock and scatter over fresh tarragon, cover and cook in the oven for about 2 hours until tender. Remove the chicken, place in an oven tin and roast for 30-40 minutes until golden, strain the fat from the juices and serve with the chicken.