Flattened Chicken with Morels

Flattened chicken cooks quicker than a whole chicken without losing that great roasted flavour. It is readily available at butcher shops or you can butterfly your own by removing the back and breast bones yourself. Morel mushrooms are being foraged right now, but you can use any mushroom you like if you can't find them. Meyer lemons work best for this recipe, as they are both sweet and tart; if they aren't available, use 3 thin slices of tangerine and 3 thin slices of lemon.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 4-pound (2-kilogram) chicken, butterflied

• 2 onions, cut in rings

• 1 Meyer lemon, thinly sliced

• 4 ounces (125 grams) morel mushrooms

• 1 cup chicken stock

Method

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine tarragon, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper and rub over chicken.

Scatter onions and lemon slices on base of a shallow roasting pan and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place chicken skin side up, on top of the onions and lemons and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until juices run clear.

Remove from oven and place chicken on a carving board. Reserve onion and lemon slices.

Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from roasting pan. Add morels and sauté for 2 minutes over medium-high heat or until softened. Pour in chicken stock and any accumulated chicken juices, onion and lemon mixture, bring to a boil and reduce until slightly thickened.

Slice chicken down through the breast to divide into two, then remove leg and thigh from each half. Serve with mushrooms, onions, lemon slices and sauce. Serves 4.