Ingredients

• 1.5kg/3lb 5oz whole chicken
• jointed into eight pieces
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 50g/2oz plain flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 110g/4oz butter
• 150g/5½oz button mushrooms
• left whole
• 100g/3½oz chestnut mushrooms
• halved
• 150g/5½oz shallots
• peeled and left whole
• 40g/1½oz caster sugar
• 175ml/6fl oz white wine
• 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock
• 3 tbsp tomato purée
• ½ bunch fresh tarragon
• half left as sprigs and half finely chopped
• 2 plum tomatoes
• peeled
• seeds removed
• finely chopped
• vegetable oil
• for deep frying
• 4 large potatoes
• peeled and cut into skinny fries
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• For the chicken chasseur
• season the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dredge in the flour to coat.
• Heat a large pan over a medium heat and add the oil and a third of the butter. When the butter is foaming
• add the chicken pieces and fry skin-side down for 1-2 minutes until golden-brown. Turn the chicken over and fry for another 1-2 minutes.
• Meanwhile
• heat a separate frying pan over a medium heat and add another third of the butter. When the butter is foaming
• add the mushrooms and fry
• stirring occasionally
• until golden-brown all over. Reserve a few mushrooms for a garnish and transfer the rest of the mushrooms to the chicken pan.
• In the pan used to fry the mushrooms
• add the remaining third of the butter
• the shallots and the caster sugar and fry for 2-3 minutes
• or until the shallots are golden-brown and caramelised.
• Add the wine and bring to the boil
• scraping the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits.
• Reserve a few shallots for the garnish and pour the remaining shallots and wine mixture over the chicken. Add the stock
• tomato purée and whole tarragon sprigs. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for 45-60 minutes
• or until the chicken is completely cooked through and the sauce has reduced slightly.
• Add the tomatoes and the chopped tarragon and season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Simmer for a further two minutes.
• For the straw fries
• pour the oil into a large
• deep
• heavy based saucepan and heat until a cube of bread sizzles and turns golden-brown when dropped in. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
• In batches carefully lower the potatoes into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes
• or until crisp and golden-brown. Remove from the hot oil using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. Season
• to taste
• with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Repeat the process with the remaining potatoes.
• To serve
• place two pieces of chicken onto each plate
• drizzle the sauce over and garnish with the reserved mushrooms and shallots. Serve the fries alongside.