Chicken With Pan Sauce

Searing the meat on the hob and finishing in the the same pan in the oven creates a crispy and browned outside, whithout drying out the chicken. Make sure to create the sauce in the same pan as the chicken is cooked in to introduce more browned flavour. 

Ingredients

Cooking the chicken:

• 1 large breast, thigh or leg per person (skin-on)

• Fresh sprigs of thyme

• Fresh sprigs of rosemary

• 3 or 4 shallots

• Knob of butter

• Salt and pepper to taste

Pan Sauce:

• Garlic

• 60g shiitake mushrooms per person

• Diced fresh rosemary

• Diced fresh thyme

• Knob of butter

• 1/4 pint of chicken stock per person

• 1/2 sachet gelatine (6g) per person

• Soy sauce

• Mustard (optional)

Directions

Searing the chicken:

1. Pat down the chicken with paper towels to remove any moisture and add generous salt and black pepper. This ensures that the skin crisps up when searing. Leave to rest until it is roughly room temperature. 

2. Heat a small amount of olive oil in an oven-safe pan and place the chicken skin side down inside. Leave to sear for about 5 minutes, then flip. Try not to touch the chicken in order to maximise the browning. Add salt and black pepper to the otherside.

3. Add a knob of butter, a diced shallot and a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme. Baste the chicken in the herbed butter until the second size is browned.

Cooking the chicken:

4. Place the pan in a pre-heated oven and cook the chicken until it registers approximately 65°C internally. 

5. Remove the chicken from the pan and leave to rest. 

Making the pan sauce:

6. Add a sachet of gelatine (12g) to about half a pint of chicken stock. Mix well.

7. Chop some garlic and shiitake mushrooms and add to the pan over medium-high heat. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release the fond.

8. Cook until lightly browned and add the gelatine-enhanced chicken stock and a splash of white wine. Also add a splash of soy sauce and optionally some mustard. Continue scraping the bottom of the pan.

9. Reduce slightly, and then add another knob of butter. Stir constantly to incorporate the fat and form a glossy emulsion. 

10. Once it is at the desired thickness (should be able to coat a spoon and leave a clear trace at the bottom of the pan), add some finely chopped thyme and rosemary. 

11. Pour the sauce over the chicken and optionally serve with baked mash potato.