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Roast Chicken with Comte Mushroom Sauce

Deborah
Roast chicken with lashings of cheesiness! The fondue-like comte sauce and mushrooms is amazing!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine British, French
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5kg free range chicken
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • a generous knob unsalted butter plus extra for frying
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • olive oil for drizzling and frying
  • 200ml dry white wine
  • 300g chestnut mushrooms sliced
  • 200ml double cream (I use Elmlea to reduce calories!)
  • 180g comte cheese rind removed and coarsely grated (see Notes)

To serve (optional):

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper, then rub all over the skin with the knob of butter.   Slice the top off the bulb of garlic, exposing the cloves, then drizzle with oil and stuff it inside the cavity.
  • Pour the white wine into a deep, hob safe roasting tin, then put a grill rack over it with the chicken on top. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes – check the chicken is cooked through by pushing a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh.   If the juices run clear, it’s ready – if they’re still pink, return the chicken to the oven for another 10 minutes, then check again.   Alternatively, I use my Thermapen to check the temperature is 74C.
  • Remove the roasting tin from the oven, let the juices from the cavity run into the wine in the roasting tin and remove the bulb of garlic. Set the chicken aside to rest and cover it loosely with tin foil.
  • Make the comte mushroom sauce:
  • Put the tin with the wine and juices in it over a medium heat and bring to a simmer.   Squeeze the softened cloves out of their skins into the roasting tin and mash with a fork or wooden spoon to incorporate them into the liquid.   Leave to bubble away and reduce for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, add a knob of butter to a frying pan over a medium heat and add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes until the mushrooms have released all their liquid and are beginning to turn golden.
  • Stir in the double cream into the reduced wine and juices, then add the cheese. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cheese has melted and you have a thick sauce.   Season to taste, then add in the mushrooms.
  • To serve:
  • Carve the chicken into pieces and arrange on a platter. Pour the sauce over the top with extra on the side, along with plenty of crusty bread or roast potatoes to make sure none of the sauce goes to waste!   The sauce is quite rich so I'd suggest serving it with your favourite green veg on the side too - try some broccoli and/or asparagus.

Notes

  • Roasting the chicken over the white wine does 2 things – it helps to keep the chicken moist in the hot dry oven, but it also catches all those delicious juices from the chicken to create a chicken and wine ‘stock’ that adds bags of flavour to the sauce.
  • The sauce is quite rich so I'd suggest serving it with your favourite green veg on the side too - try some broccoli and/or asparagus.
  • If you can't get comte cheese, gruyere is a good substitute.
  • Enjoy this roast chicken with comte mushroom sauce with plenty of crusty bread or roast potatoes to make sure none of the sauce goes to waste.

 

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Keyword cheese sauce, chestnut mushrooms, fondue, gruyere, roast dinner, Sunday dinner, Sunday roast