Ingredients

• 1 small roasting chicken, cut into nine pieces: triangular front of breasts, two wings with a little piece of breast attached, two pieces from the centre of the breast, two thighs, two drumsticks
• 75g butter
• 4 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped into small dice
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
•   garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 sprig tarragon, leaves removed from stem and coarsely chopped
• 1 tbs tarragon or white wine vinegar
• 300g girolles, stalks cleaned
• 1 glass dry white wine
• 100ml dark chicken stock
•   lemon, for juicing
•   olive oil
•   salt and pepper

Method

1. Cut the chicken into nine pieces: triangular front of the breasts, two wings with a little piece of breast attached, two pieces from the centre of the breast, two thighs, two drumsticks. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a sauté pan until hot. Add a tablespoon of butter and, when it foams, add the chicken pieces skin-side down. Turn down the heat and let the chicken colour gently for 8–10 minutes. Turn and cook for another five minutes.
3. While the chicken is cooking, peel the tomatoes, seed and chop the flesh into small dice. Peel the shallots and garlic and chop finely. Take the tarragon leaves from their stem and chop coarsely.
4. Clean the mushrooms and trim the stalks. Heat a frying pan with a film of olive oil and, once it is really hot, throw in the mushrooms. Season with a little salt, toss a couple of times and continue cooking on high heat until they start to release some of their juice. Decant the mushrooms into a sieve suspended over a bowl.
5. After the chicken has been in the pan for 12–15 minutes and is almost cooked, add a teaspoon of butter and stew the shallots and garlic around the chicken. Do not let them brown.
6. Pour in the vinegar, swirl around the pan and let it reduce completely, then add the wine. Reduce this by half, add some stock and stew for two or three minutes.
7. Add the rest of the stock, a little of the mushroom cooking juice and reduce around the chicken to a sauce-like consistency.
8. Add the mushrooms, tomato and tarragon and bring back to the boil. Check the seasoning, swirl in a final knob of butter and a squeeze of lemon juice to heighten the flavour. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes.

Notes