James Martin’s ‘the lost village’ chicken and morels recipe
Perfect for a memorable Sunday lunch or special gathering, James Martin's roast chicken recipe takes things up a notch with a few clever tweaks and twists.
First up, butter flavoured with garlic, rosemary and smoked paprika is gently pushed under the skin of the spatchcocked bird, which is then placed on a bed of new potatoes to cook.
As the chicken roasts, the butter flavours the meat and ensures it stays wonderfully moist. The cooking juices from the chicken, meanwhile, drip onto the potatoes, gifting them yet more flavour. Along with stock and a generous glug of white wine, they also form the base of an indulgent sauce. Meaty morel mushrooms sautéed in butter further add to the overall sense of delicious decadence.
This must-try dish appears in the celebrity chef’s latest book, James Martin’s Spanish Adventure. It's one of 80 recipes created as a result of James' travels around Spain, and was inspired by his visit to the tiny, picturesque village of El Acebuchal (known as ‘the lost village’).
Things to note:
This recipe calls for a spatchcocked chicken. You can either buy your chicken ready spatchcocked, ask your butcher to prepare it or do it yourself at home. Alternatively, use a regular whole chicken and increase the cooking time accordingly.
For US ingredients and measurements, use the drop-down menu and select 'Cups'.
Ingredients
- 1 bulb garlic
- 200 g butter, softened
- 3 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1.5 kg chicken, spatchcocked and skin loosened
- 300 g new potatoes
- 50 ml olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 300 ml chicken stock
- 3 large spring onions
- 100 ml white wine
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 200 g fresh morel mushrooms, left whole
Details
- Cuisine: Spanish-inspired
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 45 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6. Crush 3 peeled garlic cloves to a paste with a pinch of salt. Mix with 3/4 of the butter, the rosemary and smoked paprika. Carefully push the flavoured butter under the chicken skin, smoothing the butter out to ensure it’s evenly distributed.
- Cut the remaining bulb of garlic in half. Put the potatoes in a paella pan with the remaining garlic (reserving 1 clove), drizzle with olive oil, add the bay leaves and sprinkle with salt. Pour in the stock, sit the chicken on top of the potatoes and roast for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, add the spring onions (scallions) and the wine and roast for a further 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
- For the mushrooms, set a frying pan (skillet) over a high heat, then add the remaining butter. Once the butter has melted, add the remaining crushed garlic clove and the mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes.
- To serve, pile the potatoes and vegetables onto a platter, top with the chicken and spoon over the mushrooms and cooking juices.
Recipe adapted from James Martin’s Spanish Adventure by James Martin (published by Quadrille, £27). Photography by Dan Jones.
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