serves
6
prep
25 minutes
cook
55 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
6
people
preparation
25
minutes
cooking
55
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- Olive oil and butter, for browning
- 16 pieces streaky bacon
- 5 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic
- Bunch fresh tarragon
- 3 tsp tomato puree
- 1½ tsp flour
- 375 ml (half a bottle) red wine
- 1.5 litre chicken stock
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms
- 5 tomatoes
Potato mash
- 800 g potatoes, peeled and chut into chunks (see Note)
- 250 ml thick (double) cream
- 125 g butter
Instructions
- Remove the tops of the chicken legs and portion up the chicken into four pieces of white meat and four pieces of brown meat.
- Pour a splash of olive oil into a large frying pan. Heat. Put the chicken into the pan to brown for a couple of minutes each side. Add two knobs of butter halfway through.
- While the chicken is browning, slice up the bacon into cubes and peel and halve the shallots.
- Once golden in colour, lift the chicken out of the pan and into a bowl. Set to one side.
- Put the shallots and bacon into the hot pan and colour.
- Add 2 crushed garlic cloves (skin on), and half the tarragon and brown for a minute. Then add tomato puree. Stir in and cook out. After a minute, sprinkle over the flour.
- Pour in the red wine. Stir, then pour in the chicken stock.
- Add the chicken back in and bring to the boil.
- Add the chestnut mushrooms.
- Chop the tomatoes into eighths and add to the pan, with a sprinkle of salt and pepper to season.
- Bring to the boil and let simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, make the mash: add the potato to a pot of water, bring to the boil and then simmer until tender. Passed through a ricer or mash well, then heat in a pan with cream and 100 g of the butter. Mix well, seasoning to task with salt and pepper.
- Serve the chicken with mash, finished with more fresh tarragon, butter and seasoning.
Note
• James suggests Maris Piper potatoes, a popular English potato. For an Australian equivalent, try King Edward, Dutch cream, sebago, coliban or other starchy varieties.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
