CHEF and blogger Paul James writes for our paper.
I’ve recreated this chicken dish from a recipe from an Italian cookbook.
I’ve adapted it slightly so it can be more manageable to make.
One of those reasons being the breed of chicken used for the original recipe.
The Valdarno is a breed of black dual-purpose chicken from the lower part of the Valdarno, the valley of the Arno river, in Tuscany, central Italy, so if we just stick to a good quality free range chicken this will be just fine.
Also the recipe calls for the potatoes to be smoked, which if you have a smoker…great or if you have the time to smoke some wood chips in a pan……better still, but I’m afraid this is going to be a Sunday lunch kind of meal, using smoked garlic as the replacement.
So don’t be too concerned about the sauce or the smoked potato puree, it really is that simple – it’s just a chilled out kind of dish, prepping on a Sunday morning listening to your favourite music.
Enjoy!
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Free range chicken with smoked garlic potato puree and chicken sauce
Ingredients
1 free range chicken
1 lemon
olive oil
Mediterranean Sea salt
Ground black pepper
Fennel seeds
Chicken sauce
2 carrots
1 onion
1tsp of cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1tbsp olive oil
300ml Chicken stock
1tbsp of Cream
Smoked potato puree
4 large potatoes – 1 kept aside to use on a griddle pan (with skin on)
2 cloves of smoked garlic, minced
100ml of chicken stock
50ml cream
Lettuce leaves to garnish
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180c
2. In a baking tray add the chicken and massage in the olive oil.
3. Sprinkle with fennel seeds, black pepper and sea salt.
4. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken.
5. Cover with foil and roast in the oven until cooked thoroughly. (remove foil halfway) to crisp up the skin.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to rest.
7. For the chicken sauce, chop up the carrots roughly and add them to a saucepan with a tablespoon of olive oil that has been heating up gently.
8. Roughly chop the onions and add them to the saucepan. Cook gently for about 15 minutes just so the vegetables slightly caramelise.
9. Add the cinnamon, bay leaves and chicken stock.
10. Simmer gently for about an hour, but keep checking the liquid, so that it stays around 300ml.
11. Once this has been done, drain the liquid into a clean pan and discard the vegetables and bay leaf.
12. Once your stock has cooled add the cream.
13. Leave to one side for now.
14. Now for the smoked potato puree.
15. Wash and peel the potatoes (Leaving 1 whole with skin on) and add them to a cold saucepan of water.
16. Add the minced smoked garlic and chicken stock then bring to the boil until cooked.
17. Remove the potato with its skin on ready for chargrilling.
18. Start to mash the potatoes and garlic, then gradually add the cream until you get a puree (you can always use a liquidiser).
19. Season to taste, add a small knob of butter if you wish.
20. Heat a griddle pan or frying pan until hot.
21. Cut the potato in half and add a touch of oil and a sprinkle of salt to the flesh side of the potato.
22. Cook the potato until it it nicely charred or turning golden.
23. Put the chicken sauce back on the hob and bring back to simmer.
24. Serve the pureed smoked potato onto a warm plate and a carved portion of chicken.
25. Gently spoon over the chicken sauce and garnish with a few lettuce leaves and the chargrilled potato.
