Ingredients

• 5 litres/1 gallon water
• 175g/6oz sea salt flakes
• 100g/4oz honey
• 12 bay leaves
• 6 garlic cloves
• skin left on
• smashed
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns
• 10g/¼oz fresh rosemary leaves
• 10g/¼oz thyme leaves
• 50g/2oz flat-leaf parsley
• 2 lemons
• zest and juice
• 2 x 1.175kg/2½lbs chickens
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tsp chopped thyme leaves
• fleur de sel
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 3 shallots
• cut into medium dice
• 1 carrot
• cut into medium dice
• 3 garlic cloves
• 25g/1oz button mushrooms
• cut into medium diced
• 1 fresh tomato
• cut into medium dice
• 40ml/1½fl oz white wine
• 1sprig fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 black peppercorns
• 125ml/4½fl oz dark chicken stock
• 260g/9½oz plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• lightly beaten
• 425ml/15fl oz full-fat milk
• 110g/4oz unsalted butter
• melted

Directions

• Place all of the brine ingredients into a large saucepan. Cover with a lid and boil for one minute
• stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Rinse the chickens thoroughly under cold running water. Add the chicken to the brine. (Ensure it’s submerged in the brine – you can do this with a plate
• if necessary.) Chill in the fridge for six hours.
• Preheat the oven to 240C/475°F/Gas 9.
• Remove the chickens from the brine
• rinse under cold running water and pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Season the inside of each chicken with a light sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• To truss the chickens
• place one chicken on a tray with the legs towards you. Tuck the wing tips under the bird. Cut a 90cm/3ft piece of kitchen twine and place it on top of the neck end of the breast.
• Lift the neck end of the bird and pull the twine down around the wings and under the chicken
• then bring the ends up over the breast
• towards you
• and tie the twine into a knot
• pulling it tight to plump the breast.
• Bring the ends of the twine around the ends of the drumsticks and straight up. Tie as before to pull the drumsticks together and form a compact bird; tie again to secure the knot. Repeat the process with the second chicken. Let the chickens sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before roasting.
• Season the outside of the chickens with a light sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Place two heavy-based
• ovenproof frying pans over a high heat. When they are hot
• add half the oil to each and heat until hot.
• Put the chickens breast-side up into the pans
• and then into the oven with the legs facing the back of the oven. Roast for 40 minutes
• checking the birds every 15 minutes and rotating the griddle pans if the chickens are browning unevenly.
• After 40 minutes
• check the temperature of the birds by inserting a thermometer between the leg and the thigh. The temperature should read approximately 68C/155F. (The chicken will continue to cook as it sits
• reaching a temperature of about 73C/165°F.)
• When the birds are cooked
• remove from the oven
• add the thyme leaves to the pans
• and baste the birds with the juices and thyme leaves. Set aside in a warm place for ten minutes.
• To carve the chicken
• cut the twine between the legs and pull on one end; the entire piece will pull away easily. Cut each bird into four pieces.
• Remove each leg by cutting through the joint where the thigh joins the body. Slice off each side of the breast
• leaving the wings attached to the breast meat; cut off and discard the wing tips.
• For the chasseur jus
• place the canola oil into a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallots
• carrots
• garlic cloves and button mushrooms. Fry until lightly coloured.
• Add the tomato and stir until well combined. Pour in the wine and reduce the sauce until the liquid has almost evaporated.
• Add the herbs and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and skin the scum regularly for 30 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and into a clean saucepan.
• For the waffles
• preheat a waffle maker to a medium setting and preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Place a large wire rack onto a baking sheet and keep it warm.
• Mix the flour
• baking powder
• salt and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the eggs
• milk and butter until well combined.
• Ladle some of the batter into each well of the waffle maker and close the lid and cook for five minutes
• or until golden-brown and crispy. Repeat the process until the batter is used up.
• To serve
• arrange one piece of breast and a leg on each serving plate and top with the sauce. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and place two waffles alongside. Serve with vanilla butter and maple syrup.