Truffle butter stuffed roast chicken
John and Lisa are preparing the perfect meal for a special night In.
They start with scallops served with crispy bacon and a cauliflower puree; before moving onto truffle butter stuffed roast chicken.
On the side are Lisa’s simply delicious dauphinoise potatoes and some charred cabbage.
And there’s a dessert worth taking your time over - a chocolate and almond tart with amaretti biscuits.
Truffle butter stuffed chicken and charred cabbage
Serves 6
Ingredients
Truffle chicken
100g butter, softened
1 tbsp canned truffles, finely chopped (optional)
30ml black truffle oil
2 large potatoes, peeled and each cut down the middle into 4 thick slices
1 large chicken, approx 1.6kg
Salt & pepper
30ml olive oil
100ml water
Large baguette, torn into chunks
Charred cabbage
2 Hispi cabbage, quartered and bottom of the core removed
Olive oil
50g butter, melted
Salt for seasoning
Method
Truffle chicken1. Take the chicken out of the fridge half an hour before cooking; this raises the core temperature so it cooks evenly.
2. Heat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan. Put the softened butter into a small bowl with the truffle oil and canned truffles, then mix together. Season the inside of the chicken with some salt in the cavity and give it a good shake. Then starting at the back of the chicken gently lift the skin away from the breast meat, and using a spoon, push the truffle butter up under the skin all the way along the breasts.
3. Lay the sliced potatoes in the bottom of a roasting tin to act as a trivet for the chicken. Place the chicken on top of the potatoes, fill the cavity with water then rub the wings, legs and breast of the chicken with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes, then add the chunks of bread around the sides of the chicken in the roasting tin and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes. To check the chicken is cooked, insert a small, sharp knife into the thigh; if the juices run clear the chicken is ready.
4. Set the whole roasting tin aside to rest for 15 - 20 minutes.
Charred cabbage method
1. Whilst the chicken is resting, heat a pan over a high heat. Coat your hands with the olive oil and then use them to rub the cabbage quarters and season with salt. Then lay the cabbage in the pan and cook for 3 - 4 minutes on each side. Once your cabbage has been charred on both sides, add a generous splash of water and a knob of butter, cover with a lid and turn down the heat slightly to let them steam. Depending on the size of your griddle pan you may need to do this in batches.
Serving method
Place the chicken and charred cabbage onto a platter (and if there’s any truffle butter left over add a knob on top of the chicken), and sprinkle a little more truffle oil onto the chunks of bread and potatoes left in the roasting tray and toss.
Tip - Use a ready made truffle butter if preferred or garlic butter as an alternative.