Roast Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
There’s nothing like a herby, roast chicken perfuming your house on a cold winter’s day. The bird roasts over a bed of vegetables, tenderizing them until they are sweet and sticky. Pour your guests a glass of Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône and ladle this creamy mushroom sauce over comforting slices of roast chicken. Cheers! See how it’s made here.
Ingredients
For the Roast Chicken
1 (4-pound) chicken
Salt and pepper
4 tbsp. room temperature butter
5 anchovies, minced
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp. olive oil
¾ pound small potatoes, sliced in half
1 bunch of carrots, tops trimmed
4 shallots, peeled and sliced longways
1 garlic head, sliced in half crossways
Herbs, at least two of the following: tarragon, rosemary, thyme, sage
½ tsp. paprika
⅓ cup dry white wine
For the Mushroom Sauce:
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. thyme leaves
½ cup dry white wine
¾ cup heavy cream
Salt, to taste
Make it!
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Dry your chicken off using paper towels. Rub with lots of salt and pepper. Let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature while you prep the other ingredients.
In a small bowl smash together your butter, anchovies and grated garlic. Sprinkle in some pepper.
Once the chicken has rested for 30 minutes, rub the anchovy butter under the skin. To do so, carefully wedge your fingers between the meat and the skin and it will slowly release, allowing you to shimmy under it. Stuff the chicken with your two garlic halves and the herbs. Using baking twine, tie the legs together at the bone.
Toss potatoes, carrots and shallots in the olive oil and a sprinkle of salt in a large baking dish. Nestle the chicken on top, breasts facing up. Sprinkle the chicken with the paprika and rub into the skin (this is to help create beautiful color). Add your wine into the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes on the center rack. Once the chicken has started to brown, turn the oven down to 350ºF and bake for 40-45 minutes more, or until the juices run clear when you slice a leg open.
While the chicken bakes, make your mushroom sauce. First, we’ll sweat the mushrooms, with no fat. In a medium frying pan or cast iron, add your mushrooms and bring to medium heat. The water will begin to evaporate, cook for 8-10 minutes, until they have reduced almost half in size.
Add the butter, shallot, garlic, black pepper, two pinches of salt, and thyme leaves. Cook for 2 minutes until the shallots are translucent, but not browned. Add the white wine and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the liquid has reduced by three quarters. Pause here and turn off the burner until after you’ve carved the chicken.
Remove chicken and rest for 10 minutes. Bring your mushroom sauce back to medium heat and add your heavy cream. Let it simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring.
Carve chicken and ladle mushroom sauce onto each serving. Cheers!
