OK, we’ve gone super seasonal with this one, aiming to highlight the quality of chicken we sell at Turner & George, while adding a few tricks along the way to make life easier and help you impress with the simplest of ingredients. We should add, by the way, that this was inspired by a dish sampled at Stay, a restaurant in our Essex manor.
Currently, we’re sourcing our chicken from Adlington Farm in Warwickshire and also supplementing our supply with Herb Fed up in Yorkshire, especially as we gear up for Christmas—since all our turkeys this year will be coming from them.
As always, these birds are free-range and slow-grown in smaller groups, with ample access to large grassy areas and banks. They’re fed a diet enriched with natural whole maize, whole oats, and apples, which is reflected in their succulent flavor.
Going distinctly autumnal, we’ve paired chicken breasts (or ‘supremes,’ as we leave the wing-tip on) with creamy celeriac, roasted pumpkin, and pan-fried mushrooms. For this recipe, we’ve used British Shiitake mushrooms, but if you can get your hands on some Girolles, they’d be a great choice too.
Finally, for the finishing touches, we’ve incorporated our very own Chicken Bones Gravy, which creates a delicious shortcut, and finished everything with a cheffy drizzle of tarragon oil. This aniseed herb pairs wonderfully with chicken, and once you’ve made a batch, it will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
Let’s go!
INGREDIENTS - serve 4
1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into a large dice
100g unsalted butter
Half a Crown Prince Pumpkin, seeded and sliced into 8
250g Shiitake Mushrooms, large ones sliced in half
250ml vegetable oil
60g tarragon, leaves and stalks
2 packs of T&G Chicken Bones Gravy
Maldon Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
To make the tarragon oil, simply blanch the tarragon in boiling water for 15 seconds, then refresh in ice-cold water and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Place into a blender with 200ml of the vegetable oil and blitz until very fine and bright green.
Pour into a coffee filter held in place over a glass or bowl (we used a pint glass) and leave to strain through overnight.
On the day of cooking, place 75g of the butter into a saucepan to melt over a medium heat. Pour in the diced celeriac and stir through, before covering with a lid and reducing the heat.
Leave to gently steam and simmer in the butter for about 30-40 minutes, stirring every now and then, until soft. Then tip into a blender and blitz until smooth. Scrape back into the saucepan, ready to be heated.
Heat your oven to 180°C and place the pumpkin slices onto a baking tray and drizzle 25ml of the oil all over, combine and season well.
Put into the oven for 15 minutes and then flip the pumpkin to roast for a further 10 minutes. It should be slightly caught and soft.
Whilst the pumpkin is going, place a large, oven-proof pan over a medium to high heat. Add the remaining oil and season the chicken breasts well before placing them skin side down to brown and crisp.
After 5 to 7 minutes, flip the chicken and transfer to the oven to finish roasting in the pan for another 10 minutes. Once done, take out to rest and keep warm.
Cut open the Chicken Bone Gravy sachets and pour into a saucepan over a medium heat to start warming through and get the mushrooms going in a frying pan with the last of the butter - you want to cook them quite fast and furious so that they are crispy on the outside and yet soft to bite. Also, start to reheat your celeriac purée on the hob too.
When ready to eat, take four deep bowls and assemble each with a couple of slices of the pumpkin on the side and a spoonful of the puree in the middle. Slice each chicken breast into three and place on top and then scatter the mushrooms around the outside.
Finish by pouring the Chicken Bones Gravy into each bowl to create a moat and finish with a good drizzle of the tarragon oil all over.
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