serves
2
prep
15 minutes
cook
1:30 hour
difficulty
Easy
serves
2
people
preparation
15
minutes
cooking
1:30
hour
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 3 large bay leaves
- ½ bunch thyme
- 1 head garlic, halved crossways
- 1.6 kg Barossa Valley chicken
- 50 ml olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
Sauce chasseur
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 6 Swiss brown mushrooms, stalks removed, sliced
- 1 golden shallot, finely chopped
- 1 roma tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
- 75 ml dry white wine
- 175 ml chicken jus
- 1 small sprig tarragon (leaves only)
- freshly ground white pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200°C (fan forced).
Place a bay leaf, half of the thyme and half of the garlic in the cavity of the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Place an 80 cm length of kitchen string on your work surface and lay the chicken on top. Pull the string around the wings, tucking them underneath, then pull the string down between the legs and wrap it around to pull the legs in tightly. Tie the string between the legs to secure. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and when hot, add the chicken and brown on all sides.
Transfer the chicken to a roasting rack in a baking tray. Add the remaining herbs and garlic to the tray under the chicken and roast for 55 minutes or until cooked all the way through or until the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Rest the chicken for 10 minutes before serving.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in saucepan over medium heat, then add the mushroom and cook for 3 minutes. Add the shallot and cook for 2–3 minutes until golden brown, then stir through the tomato. Pour in the white wine to deglaze (this will release the flavours from the bottom of the pan). Cook until the wine is reduced by half. Pour in the chicken jus and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes or until reduced by a third. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir through the tarragon and white pepper to taste.
Garnish with the garlic, thyme and bay leaves. Serve with sauce chasseur.
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.
