Clodagh's roast tarragon chicken with chestnut mushroom risotto

Monday 18 February at 10:33am

Clodagh’s back with the perfect Sunday supper - roast tarragon chicken with chestnut mushroom risotto.

This dish is so deliciously creamy that there’s no need for gravy, and it's perfect for staying cosy this weekend.

Roast tarragon chicken with chestnut mushroom risotto

Recipe taken from Clodagh's Suppers: Suppers to Celebrate the Seasons

Serves: 4

Ingredients

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 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

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C / 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 1 ½ 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 while stirring constantly, 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 ver 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