Ingredients
- 1 small whole chicken
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 2tbs vegetable oil
- 5 thyme sprigs
- 250g wild mushroom mix - oyster, shitake, girolle
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 150ml white wine
- 350ml chicken stock
- 200ml cream
- 1tbs dijon mustard
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1tbs chopped tarragon, plus extra for garnish
- 30g butter
- 150ml extra chicken stock
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the chicken on a board, breast-side down, with legs facing towards you. Using kitchen scissors, cut up along each side of the backbone to remove it, cutting through the ribs as you go. Turn the chicken over and flatten with the heel or palm of your hand to level it out. Then cut down through the breast plate to cut the chicken in half. Place the two flattened halves of the chicken on a tray and season well with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large nonstick frying pan and add the oil. Place the chicken halves in the pan skin-side down, add the thyme sprigs, and cook the chicken on a medium heat for 5-6 minutes until evenly golden brown and crispy. Remove the chicken and thyme sprigs from the pan and place on an oven tray. Cover with any juices from the pan and cook in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees.
- While the chicken is in the oven, place the pan used for the chicken back on the heat. Add the wild mushrooms and cook for three minutes on a medium to high heat until starting to brown. Add the diced onion and garlic, stir and cook for two minutes. Next, add the white wine and deglaze the pan with it. When the white wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and, when the liquid has reduced by half, stir in the cream, season with salt and pepper, and bring back to a simmer. Lower the heat and allow the sauce to cook for three minutes until thickened slightly, then remove the pan from the heat. Finish the sauce by stirring through the Dijon mustard, lemon juice and chopped tarragon leaves. Check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes, then strain the juices from the tray into a small pot and place on the heat. Add some butter and chicken stock and bring to the boil until thickened slightly, then take off the heat.
- To serve, spoon the creamy wild mushrooms into a serving dish and place the chicken on top. Sprinkle with some more chopped tarragon and the roasted thyme leaves, serving the small pot of sauce on the side.
