The classic steak sauce, but with chicken.

Prep 20 min

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For the chicken

100g sea salt

The peel of 1 lemon, shaved off in wide strips

1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled and smashed just to separate and bash open the cloves a little

2 sprigs fresh thyme

5 black peppercorns

1.2kg chicken crown, wishbone removed

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For the herb butter stuffing

115g butter

25g mixed soft herbs (ie, tarragon, chives, chervil), roughly chopped

10g smoked salt

10g roast garlic (jarred or homemade), blended to a paste, or roast garlic paste

100g brioche breadcrumbs, or panko breadcrumbs

Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon, to taste

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For the diane sauce

30g olive oil

120g white onion, peeled and finely diced (100g net)

150g mixed mushrooms (shiitake, oyster, button, chestnut, wild), diced

1 garlic clove, peeled and grated

80ml brandy

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp English mustard

150ml good chicken stock, a dark one, ideally

30g creme fraiche

2 tsp finely chopped parsley

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1. First make a brine. Put the salt, lemon strips, garlic, thyme and peppercorns in a large saucepan, add a litre of water and bring to a boil, whisking until all the salt dissolves. Take off the heat and leave to cool completely.

2. Put the chicken crown in the cooled brine, making sure it’s fully submerged, then set aside to steep for an hour and a half.

3. Meanwhile, make the herb butter. Put the butter in a large bowl, whisk until white and fluffy, then fold in all the other herb butter ingredients until well combined. Season to taste, then put in a piping bag, ready for stuffing the chicken.

4. Lift the chicken out of its brine and pat dry all over. Loosen the skin over the breasts and pipe in all the herb butter. If you’re not cooking the crown immediately, cover and put in the fridge.

5. Take the chicken out of the fridge an hour before cooking, if need be, so it comes back up to room temperature, and heat the oven to 120C (100C fan)/260F/gas ½. Put the chicken on a rack set inside a baking tray, then roast for an hour and 10 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 58C. Remove, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes. Turn up the oven to 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Once the chicken has rested, return it to the hot oven for eight minutes, until the skin is golden all over and crisp.

6. While the chicken is roasting, make the sauce. Put the olive oil in a hot pan over a medium heat, add the chopped onion and cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until soft. Add the diced mushrooms and grated garlic to the pot, and cook for two minutes more. Pour in the brandy, turn up the heat to high and leave to bubble and reduce until the liquid starts to thicken and coat the mushrooms. Stir in all three mustards, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Take off the heat, stir in the creme fraiche and chopped parsley, and keep warm.

7. To serve, carve the breasts off the crown, put one breast on each plate and spoon the sauce over the top. Again, this is great with creamy mash.

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Lisa Goodwin-Allen is culinary director at the Beaumont, London l

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