Slow poached chicken and tarragon is a magical pairing but James Martin ups the ante by adding a creamy mushroom sauce.
Ingredients
- For the poached chicken
-
- 1 kg/2lb 4oz
chicken, cut into 8 pieces - 1
carrot, halved - 1 small
onion, halved - 1
leek, quartered - 1
garlic clove, crushed - 1 large sprig of
thyme - 1
bay leaf
- 1 kg/2lb 4oz
- For the blanquette sauce
-
- 25g/1oz
butter, plus extra for frying - 25g/1oz
plain flour - 1 litre/1¾ pints chicken cooking liquor (from above)
- 110g/4oz baby
onions - 110g/4oz button
mushrooms, quartered - 4 free-range
egg yolks - 110ml/4fl oz
double cream - 3 tbsp
tarragon leaves, picked
- 25g/1oz
- For the roasted shallots and fresh garden peas
-
- 4 banana
shallots, halved - 2 tbsp
olive oil - 400g/14oz fresh garden
peas, podded - 50g/1¾oz
butter salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 banana
Preparation method
-
To poach the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large saucepan and cover with 2 litres/3½ pints of water.
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Add the carrot, onion, leek, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil then turn down to a simmer and cook for 1¼ hours.
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When the meat is tender, remove from the heat. Drain the chicken, reserving 1 litre/1¾ pints of the cooking liquor for making the sauce. Set aside.
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To make the sauce, heat a heavy based saucepan over a medium heat, add the butter. When melted, add the flour and keep stirring until it is completely absorbed.
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Gradually whisk in the reserved poaching liquor, stirring until all the liquor has been incorporated.
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Drain the meat again and discard any remaining liquor along with the carrot, onion, bay leaf, clove and thyme.
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Place the meat into the sauce.
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Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, add a little more of the butter and the baby onions. Cook until slightly coloured then add the mushrooms and cook for a further two minutes.
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Tip the onions and mushrooms into the chicken and sauce.
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Whisk the egg yolks and cream together in a bowl then gradually add to the pan, whisking as you go.
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Remove from the heat and continue to whisk for a couple of minutes.
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Stir in the tarragon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.
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For the roasted shallots and fresh garden peas, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
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Heat a large griddle pan and drizzle the oil over the cut side of the shallots. Place on the griddle pan cut-side down and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until coloured and charred. Turnover and cook for a few more minutes, then place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
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Meanwhile heat a saucepan of boiling water and season with salt. Once boiling, add the peas and cook for 3-4 minutes then drain.
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Heat a frying pan and add the butter and peas, season with salt and pepper and cook gently for a few minutes.
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To serve, place a couple of pieces of chicken on each plate and spoon over the sauce. Place the roasted shallots and peas next to the chicken.