Recipe: Sam Linsell’s Roast chicken with herbs, white wine & cream
With this roast chicken with herbs, white wine and cream, Sam Linsell has taken taken her favourite whole roasted chicken recipe and added cream. The bird gets cooked in a bath of the most delicious flavour components which render into the most sublime jus. This forms the basis of the creamy sauce which you pour over the chicken and dunk your crusty bread into (and this part is mandatory).
Flip the chicken twice in the oven as per the instructions below to ensure the skin gets golden on all sides.
INGREDIENTS
1 free-range chicken
1 onion peeled and roughly chopped
2 small-medium carrots peeled and roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
250ml /1 cup dry white wine
250ml / 1 cup chicken stock
125ml / 1/2 cup roughly chopped herbs such as parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
4 cloves of garlic crushed
3 tsp of Dijon mustard
3 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
125ml / ½ cup cream
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F.
Place the chicken on the chopped onion, carrots & celery in a deep-sided roasting pan making sure it’s quite a snug fit.
Mix all the liquid, mustard and herbs together and pour this marinade over the chickens and into the cavity. Drizzle over the olive oil and rub it all around the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
Roast uncovered for 1 1/2 hours and until the chickens are cooked. Roast with chicken with the breast side up for 30 minutes, then flip it over so the underside goes golden for the next 30 minutes, and then finally flip it back upright for the final 30 minutes. If the liquid has thinned out too much, top up with stock and a splash more white wine halfway through or for the last 30 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the tray and set it aside on a serving platter to rest.
Strain the pan juices and vegetables through a fine sieve into a small pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the cream and season with salt & pepper. Allow this to cook gently for or a few minutes and until the sides start to thicken slightly. Serve with the roast chicken.
Pair it with the Lievland Chenin Blanc which it does beautifully.