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–+ servings

Chicken braised with shallots and chicory on jerusalem artichoke purée

A dish of contrasts – bitter chicory, sweet shallots and nutty Jerusalem artichokes – that comes together very elegantly. I love the colours, too. The palette is completely limited, which gives it a kind of earthy, restrained beauty.
Couverts4
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Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKEN

  • ¼ tbsp olive oil
  • 20 g ¾oz unsalted butter
  • 8 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs or a mixture of joints
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 heads of chicory nice fat ones if possible, halved lengthways
  • 16 shallots
  • 250 ml 9fl oz chicken stock
  • 3 sprigs of thyme plus thyme leaves to serve

FOR THE PURÉE

  • 750 g 1lb 10oz Jerusalem artichokes
  • good squeeze of lemon juice
  • 225 ml 8fl oz double cream, plus more if needed
  • 50 ml 2fl oz chicken stock, plus more if needed
  • 25 g scant 1oz unsalted butter
  • grating of fresh nutmeg

Instructions

  • Start with the chicken.
  • Heat the oil and butter in a sauté pan and brown the chicken pieces on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper.
  • Make sure you don’t burn the fat.
  • Remove the chicken and set aside.
  • Now colour the cut sides of the chicory in the fat as well – you want it tinged with gold – then remove and set this aside, too.
  • Add the shallots to the pan and colour those on the outside as well.
  • Return the chicken to the sauté pan with the shallots and add the stock and sprigs of thyme.
  • Bring to the boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer very gently for about 20 minutes.
  • Add the chicory to the pan – try and arrange everything in a single layer – and cook for another 15 minutes.
  • Make sure that there is still stock left in which to cook the chicory.
  • If there is too much liquid, then leave the lid off for the next bit of cooking, so it can reduce.
  • The dish is cooked when the juices in the chicken run clear with no trace of pink and the chicory is completely tender.
  • Taste the cooking liquids: because you have reduced stock, you shouldn’t need any more salt.
  • Meanwhile, to make the purée, cut the Jerusalem artichokes into chunks.
  • I don’t bother to peel them, but you can if you want.
  • As you cut them up, immediately drop them in a pan of water to which you have added a good squeeze of lemon juice (this stops the artichokes discolouring).
  • Bring the water to the boil and cook the artichokes until tender.
  • Drain the artichokes and return them to the pan.
  • Bring to the boil with the cream, stock, butter, nutmeg and seasoning.
  • Heat through, then purée in a blender.
  • Taste for seasoning and judge whether you need to add any more cream or stock (or water) for texture and thickness.
  • Serve with the chicken.
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Course; Chicken