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James' Dad's Tarragon Chicken

"In the summer for the last ten years my dad's cooked this delicious recipe, it's the family favourite. It's light and fragrant and easy to prepare if you roast the chicken in advance. It's also great for lunch the next day" -James Mansfield
James' Dad's Tarragon Chicken

Time

1 hr 30 mins

Serves

4

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg Field & Flower whole chicken
  • 1 Lemon
  • 6 Cloves of garlic
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • 250ml white wine
  • Full fat crème fraîche
  • 1 small bunch of fresh tarragon
  • String beans
  • New potatoes

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
  2. Put chicken in roasting tray and bring up to room temperature.
  3. Squeeze a whole lemon over the chicken and put the halves in the cavity along with some whole cracked garlic cloves.
  4. Rub chicken with olive oil, season generously and put in oven.
  5. After 25 minutes turn oven down to 180°C, remove chicken after 20 minutes and rest for 30 mins.
  6. Scrape all the sediment and juices from the roasting tray and pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Add the juices from the resting chicken.
  7. Add 250ml of wine. Bring to the boil and reduce.
  8. Carve the chicken. Put the juice reduction into a frying pan or similar, on a medium heat and add generous amounts of full fat crème fraîche.
  9. Add a generous handful of chopped fresh tarragon and season. Stir thoroughly.
  10. Add the chicken and let warm through for a few minutes then serve.
  11. Serve with steamed green beans and roast new potatoes.