Phil Fanning, Executive Chef of the exquisite Paris House restaurant shares his recipe for roast chicken with chestnut bisque, wild mushroom and delicate crème fraîche
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 1 x Corn Fed Chicken
• 2 x Chicken Breasts
• 10 Banana shallots
• 2 x Packet of exotic mushrooms
• 1 x Packet dried wild mushrooms
• 1 x Packet water cress
• 1 x small tub crème fraiche
• 1 x small tub double cream
• 1 x bunch tarragon
• 1 x packet cooked chestnuts
• Peppercorns
• White wine
• Soy sauce
• Red miso paste
Method
1 Prepare your mushrooms. Peel the shallots and finely slice 6, cut 4 in half, leaving the root on to stop them falling apart.
2 Prepare the chicken, by removing the breasts and legs. Reserve the legs for another recipe.
3 Finely slice half a bunch of chives Chop the chicken carcass in to 1⁄2” dice.
4 In a large frying pan, fry the chicken carcass until just starting to colour. Add the 6 finely sliced shallots and cook on a medium heat until the carcass and shallots are deep golden in colour
5 Add 5 sprigs of tarragon, 12 whole pre-cooked chestnuts, 10 peppercorns, one large heaped spoon of red miso and a small handful of dried wild mushrooms.
6 Add a small glass of wine and allow to cook out
7 Add 1 pint of chicken stock, gently simmer the mix for 10 minutes.
8 Add 85g double cream (half a small tub) and about 1⁄4 pint of water, bring to a simmer then transfer to a liquidiser and blitz for 5-7 minutes. Pass the bisque through a fine sieve and squeeze all of the liquid out.
9 Discard all of the pulp and adjust the seasoning of the soup with soy sauce. Keep in a pan until ready to serve.
10 In a medium hot frying pan, colour the skin of the x4 chicken breasts and also start colouring the cut surfaces of the x4 halves of shallot.
11 Once the skin of the chicken and the surface of the shallots are deep golden, quickly flip over the chicken breasts to seal the other side, then transfer to a small baking tray and bake at 190c for 6-8 minutes until fully cooked,
12 Remove the breasts from the oven and allow to rest. Remove the shallots when they are tender.
13 Heat a large frying pan with some olive oil and over a medium high heat, caramelise the mushrooms.
14 Finish with chopped garlic, chives and a little seasoning. Keep warm until ready to serve.
15 Next, mix 1tbs chives with 3tbs of Crème fraiche, season with black pepper to taste
16 When ready to serve, carve the chicken breasts in half lengthways and re heat the bisque. Arrange the mushrooms, crème fraiche, water cress and roast shallots in to the bottom of a bowl.
17 Add a good dollop of the crème fraiche and chive mix, some chopped chestnut and finish with a generous helping of bisque.
Recipe courtesy of Phil Fanning, Executive Chef and owner of Paris House
