Pan-Fried Chicken with Madeira Sauce
Brendan created this dish for MasterChef UK ™ Series 22. Anna Haugh called it the best chicken skin she had ever tasted, and Grace Dent praised the beautifully cooked, not-dry chicken and the butter-rich mash. This Fix-It preserves every element the judges loved and rebalances only the Madeira sauce they found too sweet — built on a reduced brown chicken stock, a restrained pour of drier Madeira, and a few drops of sherry vinegar.
- Time: 120 min
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- FOR THE BUTTERY MASH
- / 450 g floury potatoes , peeled and cut into even chunks
- / 70 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- / 45–60 ml whole milk or cream, warmed
- Fine salt, to taste
- FOR THE ROASTED ONION & CARROTS
- small onion, halved or cut into wedges
- medium carrots, cut into batons
- / 15 ml olive oil
- / 15 g butter
- sprig thyme
- FOR THE MUSHROOM & BLACK GARLIC PURÉE
- shallot, finely diced
- / 200 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- black garlic cloves, mashed to a paste
- / 30 ml double cream
- Salt, to taste
- FOR THE CRISPY BLACK PUDDING
- / 100 g black pudding, cut into small cubes or crumbled
- / 5 ml neutral oil
- FOR THE PAN-FRIED CHICKEN & CRISPY SKIN
- skin-on chicken breasts , free-range — remove and reserve the skin
- Flaky sea salt, to taste, for the skin and seasoning
- / 15 ml neutral oil, for frying
- / 30 g unsalted butter, for basting
- garlic clove, lightly crushed, skin on
- sprigs fresh thyme
- FOR THE REBALANCED MADEIRA SAUCE
- shallot, finely sliced
- / 30 ml dry white wine
- / 60 ml Madeira
- / 500 ml brown chicken stock, reduced to about 1 cup / 250 ml
- / 30 g cold butter, to finish
- / 2–3 ml sherry vinegar, a few drops to balance at the end
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- EQUIPMENT
- Ovenproof heavy-based frying pan
- Potato Ricer or Smooth Potato Masher
- Blender or food processor
- Two baking trays and parchment