Roast tarragon chicken with chestnut mushroom risotto

Clodagh says: “The tarragon adds a delicious sweet flavour, mixed with the spicy Dijon mustard and aromatic garlic.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

100g butter, softened

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsps finely chopped tarragon

2 tsps 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 tbsp finely chopped thyme leaves, plus extra to garnish

80g Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tbsp mascarpone cheese

Method

1 1 Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6.

2 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. Smear the butter mixture all over the chicken as well as underneath the skin.

3 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.

4 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.

5 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.

6 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.

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