Pea & tarragon cream roast chicken

Name: Pea & tarragon cream roast chicken
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 kg floury potatoes such as maris piper; 1 5 garlic cloves thinly sliced; 1 1 whole chicken around 1.8kg; 1 1 lemon halved; 200 ml vermouth or white wine; 300 ml hot chicken stock; 250 g frozen peas defrosted; 15 g tarragon leaves picked and finely chopped; 50 g any nuts of choice; 300 ml double cream; 1½ tbsp dijon mustard; 1 green salad to serve

Prep: 25 minsCook: 1 hr 10 mins

Prep

25 mins

Cook

1 hr 10 mins

Servings

Difficulty

Hard

Nut-FreeEgg-Free

(0)

This is one of my favorite weeknight dinners because it comes together in just under two hours and actually feels fancy enough for guests. A whole roasted chicken with creamy peas and tarragon is the kind of elegant comfort food that makes you feel like you've been cooking all day, even though most of the work is just letting the oven do its thing. Tarragon is such a wonderful herb, delicate and slightly aniseedy, and it pairs beautifully with the sweetness of peas and richness of cream. Plus, peas are packed with fiber and plant based protein, so you're getting something genuinely nourishing alongside all that deliciousness. Serve it with a simple green salad and you've got a complete meal that'll have everyone asking for seconds.

Ella x

Ingredients

Servings:

3 tbspolive oil
1 kgfloury potatoes such as maris piper(scrubbed clean)
15 garlic cloves thinly sliced
11 whole chicken around 1.8kg
11 lemon halved
200 mlvermouth or white wine
300 mlhot chicken stock
250 gfrozen peas defrosted
15 gtarragon leaves picked and finely chopped
50 gany nuts of choice(we used pine nuts and walnuts)
300 mldouble cream
1 tbspdijon mustard
1green salad to serve

Detail level

Instructions

1
Pour a splash of the oil into a large, round casserole dish and rub it all over the base and sides. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Slice the potatoes as thinly as you can (no need to peel) and arrange in layers with the garlic in the base of the oiled dish. Remove any string from the chicken, drizzle over the remaining oil and rub in well. Season the chicken all over generously, including inside the cavity, then add one of the lemon halves inside the cavity. Put the chicken on top of the potatoes, then pour the vermouth and stock around the potatoes. Roast for 40 mins, until the chicken is golden brown.
2
Meanwhile, tip the peas into a blender or food processor with the tarragon, nuts, cream and Dijon mustard. Pulse a few times until everything is finely chopped, then season with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken from the oven and pour the sauce directly over. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and return to the oven. Roast for a further 20-30 mins until the chicken is cooked through. To check, pierce the thickest part of the chicken with a sharp knife. The juices should run clear, or a temperature probe inserted should read 74C.
3
Remove the chicken from the tin, then cover and leave to rest for 10-15 mins before carving. Pour any resting juices over the potatoes and season with salt, pepper and the remaining lemon juice. Serve with a green salad, if you like.

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