Wine and cream work beautifully with the distinctive flavour of capers in this robust yet elegant take on roast chicken.

This recipe accompanies this column.

Ingredients

1 chicken

Olive oil

Salt and black pepper

Stuffing:

2 medium onions, chopped

Olive oil

3 Tbsp chopped capers

1 glass dry white wine

Breadcrumbs (about 3 or 4 slices of stale bread, blitzed to crumbs)

2 eggs, beaten

Salt

Black pepper

Caper cream sauce:

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Olive oil

6 to 8 capers, chopped

4 caperberries, sliced thinly

2 or 4 caperberries, whole, for garnish

250 ml chicken stock

1 glass dry white wine

200 ml cream

White pepper

Salt

Method

Clean the bird and pat it dry. Season the cavity with salt and pepper.

In a pot, sauté two chopped onions in oil until softened. Add capers and wine and reduce by half. Stir in the breadcrumbs, season with salt and black pepper, then beat the eggs and fold them in. Pack the stuffing either inside the chicken or into ramekins or a small loaf tin, to roast alongside the chicken.

Oil a roasting pan, put the chicken in it and oil the bird on all sides. Season the outside generously with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated 240℃ oven for about 90 minutes or until the skin is crisp and an inserted skewer comes out clean. If separate, put the stuffing in to cook alongside the chicken. Keep an eye on it; you’ll be able to see when it has browned and is ready to remove and keep to one side.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Sauté the onion and garlic in a little olive oil, and stir in the chopped capers and sliced ones, and season with salt and white pepper. Add the stock and reduce by half, then the wine and reduce by half, then stir in the cream and let it simmer until you have a nice fairly thick sauce that is still a little runny. Serve portions of chicken with the sauce napped alongside, with the stuffing of course. Use whole and halved caperberries creatively as a garnish. DM/TGIFood

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