Simon Rogan

Recipe from Rogan: The Cookbook
Published by HarperCollins
Photo: Cristian Barnett

"Hen of the wood is one of my favourite mushrooms, which can be foraged for from late August, but you can also get hold of it under its Japanese name, maitake. The crisp-fried mushrooms enhance the crunchy textures from the fried skin and yeast-flake crumb and are beautiful against the tender chicken and soft mushroom purée. Make sure you use an organic, free-range and corn-fed chicken here for maximum flavour, not to mention animal welfare."

Chicken with Mushrooms and Creamed Kale

Serves 4

Chicken breast and yeast-flake crumb
100g chicken skin (from the 4 large breasts)
50g unsalted butter
40g yeast flakes
2 tbsp sunflower oil
4 large chicken breasts, skin on, such as Goosnargh

Chicken jus

1 litre Brown Chicken Stock
Mushroom purée
80g unsalted butter
500g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
120ml whole milk

Creamed kale

1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for the kale
1 shallot, sliced
1 bay leaf
200ml Ham Stock
500ml double cream
10g summer savory
150g kale leaves, such as Pentland Brigg, Red Russian, Peacock

Hen of the wood

3 tbsp sunflower oil
200g hen of the wood or maitake mushrooms
50g unsalted butter
salt, for seasoning

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas Mark 6. Scrape any excess fat from the chicken skin and discard. Lay the skin flat on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, season with a pinch of salt and bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. When cool, chop to a fine crumb.

Lower the oven to 160°C/140°C Fan/Gas Mark 2. Melt the butter in a small, heavy-based saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the yeast flakes and toast, stirring, for 1-2 minutes until golden, then fold through the chicken-skin crumb.

Season the chicken breasts with salt on both sides. Warm the oil in a non stick ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and fry the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes until lightly coloured, then turn them over and finish in the oven (still in the pan) for 12–15 minutes. Remove from the oven and put to one side to rest. Meanwhile, reduce the brown chicken stock to a sauce consistency in a large, heavy-based saucepan (see page 286).

To make the mushroom purée, melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, add the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring regularly, for 8-10 minutes until soft and slightly caramelised. Add the milk, bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and blitz until smooth in a food processor. Pass the purée through a fine sieve into a bowl.

For the creamed kale, warm the oil in a medium, heavy-based saucepan. Sweat the shallot and bay leaf for 3-4 minutes until the shallot is soft and translucent. Add the stock and reduce to a thick, syrup-like consistency. Pour in the cream, add the savory and reduce by half, then strain through a fine sieve and allow to cool.

Sauté the kale in a little oil in a saucepan over a high heat for 30 seconds, adding 2-3 tablespoons of water to help it steam. Once the kale has wilted, add the reduced cream to glaze the kale. Remove the pan from the heat.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil followed by the mushrooms and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add the butter and cook for 4 minutes until lightly golden and crispy. Remove from the heat and season with a pinch of salt.

Put a spoon of warm mushroom purée on each plate, brush the chicken with a little jus, top with crispy crumb and add to the plates. Serve the creamed kale alongside with a bowl of crispy hen of the woods and the remaining jus.