Ingredients

• 75ml/2½fl oz rapeseed oil
• 1 large chicken
• jointed into eight pieces
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 200g/7oz pancetta
• diced
• 200g/7oz shallots
• peeled and cut in half
• 1 bulb of garlic
• cut in half
• 500g/1lb 2oz wild mushrooms (chanterelles
• girolles
• ceps
• button mushrooms morelles)
• cleaned
• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
• 50ml/2fl oz Madeira
• 500ml/18fl oz dark chicken stock
• 300ml/10½fl oz double cream
• 1 bunch fresh tarragon
• 1kg/2lb 4oz Maris piper potatoes
• peeled and cut into chunks
• 300ml/10½fl oz full-fat milk
• 300ml/10½fl oz double cream
• 150g/5½oz unsalted butter
• plus extra for dressing the green beans
• 150g/5½oz fine green beans
• trimmed

Directions

• For the chicken with a creamy mushroom sauce
• heat a large pan and add half of the oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Once the oil is hot
• cook the chicken until golden-brown all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the pancetta to the pan the chicken was cooked in
• and fry until crisp
• then add the shallots
• garlic and mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pan and cook for two minutes.
• Add the butter
• Madeira
• stock
• cream and tarragon and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove the head of garlic before serving.
• For the mashed potato
• place the potatoes in a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes
• or until soft when tested with the point of a knife.
• Drain the potatoes and place back into the pan to let the steam off. Mash and add the milk
• cream and butter and mix until smooth.
• Heat a pan of boiling water and blanch the beans
• refresh in ice-cold water.
• Heat a small frying pan and add a few knobs of butter
• once melted add the beans and cook for a couple of minutes until the beans are coated in butter and tender.
• To serve
• place the mash into serving bowls with the chicken
• sauce and green beans.