Crisp chicken skin, succulent juicy meat and the rich earthy flavour of black truffle. This black truffle roast chicken is the perfect mix of everyday comfort and extravagance.
AND it is the perfect way to use my stash of Manjimup black truffles. You might have seen the black beauties over on my Facebook page a few weeks ago!!! I had a great week cooking up a few dishes to share with you.
Back in my days at the hotel and restaurant I worked with a wonderful Australian chef named Leo. Although he was Australian he had spent most of his working life in France. His food was some of the best I have ever tasted! It was always bold and bright, but it had a sort of elegance to it. I guess it was the Australian French mix. He was also an ageing surfer with slightly long grey hair and an all year tan!!! He left the year I did and moved down to Devon with the catering manager, last I heard they had an amazing seafood restaurant down there. But that was 25 years ago!!! Guessing perhaps that has changed since then 😉
He was a great lover of all food, but he said two foods spoke to his soul (I think that was the French man in him!!!), black truffles and Tasmanian salmon. One day I will share his salmon tartare (SOOOOO GOOD!!!!) In fact maybe I will get that onto my Christmas degustation menu this year??? Only 6 months until Christmas!!! YEAH!
I have so digressed!!!! (seems to be a theme today!)
Anyway! He loved black truffles, so when I got sent some amazing Manjimup truffles I though of Leo and cooked up a storm. His advice for using truffles was simple (You have to imagine this said in an Australian accent but with a heavy French twang.)
"The key to decadence with truffles is not to create a truffle dish, but to add truffles to an everyday dish. That shows real decadence and true love of the truffle. We don't create a dish around the truffle, we create a dish and enhance it with truffle."
Want to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
It makes sense! Truffles won't make a bad dish better! If the meal doesn't taste good without the truffle then it isn't going to taste good with truffle. You want a great dish that you can take over the edge with truffle.
His other rule was that truffles love fat. A good truffle dish should include, butter, cheese or cream. The wonderful aromas disperse into the fat and infuse the whole dish with earthy truffle flavour.
Think about some of the most popular ways to enjoy truffles. Shaved into scrambled eggs, grated over a creamy pasta, added to a rich cheesy potato gratin - scrambled eggs, creamy pasta, cheesy potatoes - all meals that we enjoy regularly. But boosted up a level with the addition of black truffle!
I have a few black truffle recipes to share with you, but first up is a good old roast chook! See simple food, done well with added decadence of truffle. YUM!!!!
Enjoy the decadent week to come 🙂
Claire x
P.S if you read my Roast Chicken with Rosemary and Grape post, you will know that I am a lover of roast chicken served with salad and bread. This chicken is perfect for that!!! The buttery truffle juices are delicious mopped up with bread! And although a simple green salad works fabulously. A spinach and mushroom salad would be even better with this.
Get the Recipe
Black Truffle Stuffed Roast Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 small chicken - about 1.2kg/2.6lb
- black truffle (see notes for weights)
- 50 g (½ stick) butter
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 230ºC/Gas Mark 8/450ºF
- Remove the chicken from the fridge and remove all the packaging. Pat the skin dry and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Take a sharpe knife and cut 3 deep slashes into the drumstick and lower chicken thighs.
- Carefully work your fingers between the skin and the breasts of the chicken, to create a pocket under the skin.
- Use a truffle shaver (or very thin micro cutter) to shave thin slivers off the truffle.
- Push the truffle slices up under the skin until you have a nice thin layer. Any remaining truffle can be pushed into the slashes in the thigh meat.
- Softly squeeze the butter between your fingers (This helps to make it pliable) and then push it inside the skin on top of the truffle. (See notes)
- Lay the rosemary on the bottom of a roasting tin and then place the chicken on top.
- Massage the skin with the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Place in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes. (Don't open the door during the cooking time. Set your timer and don't peek.)
Notes
I used about 20g of truffle for my chicken. Probably ⅓ of a reasonable sized black truffle.
Nutrition is per serving
Nancy | Plus Ate Six says
What a treat! How lovely and decadent - I do love your style. Did you watch Masterchef UK this year? One of the finalists cooked something very similar - he said it was an old French recipe called Black Widow Chicken because of the truffles under the skin.
Anyway, I digress too - gorgeous photos 🙂
Claire McEwen says
I didn't get to see it. We are usually a bit behind the times with the UK season. I think the last British Bake off that aired was 2 years old. But I love the name 🙂
Thank you Nancy x
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Claire! A roasted chicken is a thing of beauty! I did one earlier in the week infused with lemon and rosemary. The juicy meat and crispy skin were so good! I served mine with steamed asparagus and sliced fresh local tomatoes. I'm sure I could find a source for black truffles, but not sure if my budget could take the hit! 🙂 I'm going to check it out. BTW, lovely photos!
Claire McEwen says
I agree Dorothy, roast chicken is beautiful and so comforting. Just the smell of it cooking is enough to bring the family to the table.
As for black truffles! Well I know exactly what you mean! I was fortunate enough to be sent two beautiful truffles for free!!! Otherwise they are definitely a high day and hay day kind of ingredient!
Claire McEwen says
If you can find truffle butter, that would work well instead of the butter and shaved truffle 🙂
Still a pricy roast chook, but an alternative x