Roast Tarragon Chicken with Chestnut Mushroom Risotto

By Erin Brown
Related Categories: Cookbook Confidential

“This is my favourite way to cook and serve roast chicken during autumn. The tarragon adds a delicious sweet flavour, mixed with the spicy Dijon mustard and aromatic garlic. The risotto is creamy, so there is no need for a sauce. It’s an ideal supper for a cosy evening at home.” Clodagh McKenna, author of Clodagh’s Suppers

100g butter, softened

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tablespoons finely chopped tarragon

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 whole organic or free-range chicken, about 1.4kg

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mushroom risotto

100g butter

2 shallots, very finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

300g Arborio (risotto) rice

100ml dry white wine

700ml hot chicken or vegetable stock

250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme leaves, plus extra to garnish

80g Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.

Start by prepping the chicken. Add the softened butter, garlic, tarragon and mustard to a bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well, using the back of a spoon to blend the ingredients together. Using clean hands, smear the butter mixture all over the chicken as well as underneath the skin.

Place the chicken in a roasting tray and roast for 1½ hours or until cooked through. To check if the chicken is cooked, insert a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh – the juices should run clear.

Meanwhile, to make the risotto, place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add half the butter. Once the butter has melted, stir in the shallots and garlic, then cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat to low and leave to sweat for about 2 minutes until the shallots are softened but not browned.

Add the rice and stir to coat it with the butter, then cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the white wine, stir and cook for about 2 minutes until almost all of it has been absorbed.

Add the hot stock a ladleful at a time, cooking while stirring constantly after adding the stock until it has been absorbed before adding more. It should take 15–20 minutes for the rice to be cooked, but check by tasting as you go.

While the risotto is cooking, place a frying pan over a high heat, add the remaining butter and the mushrooms and cook, tossing, for 3 minutes. About 5 minutes before the rice is cooked, stir in the mushrooms and thyme, then stir in the Parmesan and mascarpone just before you serve the risotto.

Once the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a large serving platter and spoon the risotto all around it, then garnish with extra thyme.