Spatchcock chicken with garlic, sautéd girolles and lemon
- Published: 31 Dec 13
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
A fantastic way to cook a whole chicken, the garlic, girolles and lemon complete this special dish. A good butcher will spatchcock a chicken for you, but if you want to have a go yourself, take a look at our How To.
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Serves 4
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Hands-on time 30 min, marinating time 30 min (optional), oven time 1 hour
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1.5kg free-range chicken, spatchcocked (see Know-how), wing tips and leg tips cut off
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon, halved lengthways and sliced
- ½ garlic bulb, cloves separated and squashed but not peeled (about 7 cloves)
- 1 small bunch of fresh thyme
- 20g butter
For the confit garlic:
- 12 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 20g butter
- 3 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp clear honey
For the gravy:
- 200ml good fresh chicken stock
- 50ml dry white wine
- Knob of butter
- Pinch of sugar to taste
For the mushrooms:
- 10g butter
- 100g girolle mushrooms (or any wild mushrooms)
- Small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Method
- Preheat the oven to 240°C/fan220°C/gas 9. Put the chicken in a roasting tin, drizzle the olive oil over, season, then put the lemon, garlic and thyme in the tin. Dot the chicken with butter and, if possible, leave for 30 minutes to marinate.
- Put the chicken in the oven, then turn the oven down to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Cook for 45-50 minutes, basting regularly, until golden and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, make the confit garlic. Peel the garlic cloves, put in a small pan with the oil and butter, then cook gently for 10 minutes until slightly browned. Stir through the balsamic vinegar and honey, then cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic is soft and the liquid is reduced and sticky.
- Remove the chicken from the oven, transfer to a carving board and cover loosely with foil. Take the lemons, garlic and thyme out of the roasting tin and set aside. Put the tin on the hob to make the gravy. Pour in the stock and white wine and bring to a simmer, scraping any bits from the bottom of the tin. Bubble until the liquid thickens and the alcohol flavour mellows. Stir in the butter and season with the sugar and salt and pepper. Stir in any resting juices from the chicken and strain if you like.
- For the mushrooms, melt the butter in a large frying pan, then add the mushrooms and season. Fry, tossing regularly, over a high heat for 2 minutes or until golden and soft, then scatter with the parsley and transfer to a small serving dish.
- Serve the chicken on the board, scattered with the confit garlic and the reserved charred lemon, garlic and thyme from the roasting tin. Serve the mushrooms and gravy on the side, with roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables, if you like.
- Recipe from January 2014 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 498kcals
- Fat
- 27.3g (11g saturated)
- Protein
- 56.6g
- Carbohydrates
- 4.6g (2.3g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.3g
- Salt
- 0.8g
delicious. tips
To spatchcock the chicken, turn it breast-side down and cut from the parson’s nose (the arrowhead-shaped tail end) along the side of the backbone with good kitchen scissors or secateurs. Once you get to the end, cut down the other side of the backbone to remove it completely. Turn the chicken over, put your hand in the centre of the breasts and press down firmly. You’ll hear the wishbone snap and the chicken will flatten out.
A bottle of rounded, buttery bourgogne blanc, especially a meursault, is spot on here.
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