House Recipes: Chicken, mash, winter chanterelle sauce

For those opting for an intimate Valentine’s Day dinner at home, our Chicken with mash and winter chanterelle sauce is the perfect dish to recreate the flavours you’d find in a French Bistro. A variation of Poulet à l’Estragon, our recipe also includes mushrooms for added savoury depth. 

Bold yet simple, it only takes 30 minutes to make, but is sure to impress. Our tip? Source French tarragon for a greater aromatic hit. 

Ingredients

For the mash
2-3 large potatoes (Koffman) 
50g butter 
50ml milk 
100ml double cream 
Salt to taste 

10g garlic (3-4 garlic cloves)
20g thyme
50g butter 
200g king oyster mushrooms, diced 
300g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 
200g chanterelles 
100ml chicken stock
20g tarragon 
2 chicken breasts (skin on) 
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper 

Method
1. For the mash, cut the potatoes into equal pieces, then boil them in salted water for 15 minutes or until tender.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, fry the garlic and thyme in the butter until they soften and start to brown.
3. To the pan, add all the mushrooms and season with salt. Make sure you caramelise them well to draw out their moisture. 
4. Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and season with pepper. Once slightly cooled, add the tarragon. 
5. For the chicken, preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F/gas mark 6. 
6. Using a cast iron pan (or any pan that retains heat well), add a liberal amount of vegetable oil and bring to a medium heat. 
7. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then place it in the pan skin side down. Make sure the meat evenly colours and the skin crisps up. 
8. Transfer the chicken into an ovenproof dish (skin side up) with a few sprigs of thyme on the bottom.  
9. Roast the chicken for 12 minutes or until it’s fully cooked. 
10. Drain the potatoes, add the butter, milk and cream, then mash until creamy.
11. Serve the chicken with the sauce and mash.