Ingredients
1.4 kg whole chicken
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 shallots or small red onions, peeled and quartered from root to tip
3 carrots, sliced thickly on the diagonal
2 celery sticks, chopped
100 g button mushrooms
100 g bacon or prosciutto, diced
500 g small potatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
2 tsp dried thyme or small bunch fresh thyme or rosemary, chopped if fresh
1/4 cup ml chicken stock or broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
Sea salt & pepper
METHOD
Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4. Rub the chicken all over with the butter, then season well with salt and pepper, inside and out. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
In a large Dutch oven with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Brown the chicken on 3 sides (breasts and 2 leg/thigh sections) until browned all over, about 15 minutes total. Use tongs and a wooden spoon anchored in the cavity to turn it easily onto each side (you can prop it up against the side of the pot so it doesn’t tip over when you are browning the leg/thigh sections).
Remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to large bowl. Turn off the heat under the pot and add the butter, swirling until it melts. Add the vegetables, onion wedges, and herbs. Toss, coating the vegetables with the butter. Season lightly with salt and pepper and toss again. Move the vegetables to the sides of the pot, making room for the chicken.
Place the browned chicken on top, breast side up. Pour over 1/4 cup white wine, cover pot with the lid, and transfer the pot to the oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 165° when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh, about 1 hour.
