Season and flour the chicken, then brown in oil and butter. Remove. Sauté mushrooms and onion, add garlic briefly, then pour in brandy and wine to reduce. Stir in tomato paste for 1 minute, then stock, salt, and pepper. Return chicken, simmer covered 10 minutes then uncovered for 20 minutes until tender. Finish with cold butter and fresh tarragon.

Season the chicken - Pat the chicken dry thoroughly with paper towels. This removes surface moisture, allowing the skin to brown properly and avoiding splatter. Season with salt and pepper on all sides. Coat in flour, shaking off excess. This helps develop a golden crust and also thickens the sauce later.

Brown the Chicken - Heat vegetable oil in a large (30cm/12") skillet (with lid) over medium-high heat. Add butter, once melted and foaming, place thighs skin-side down. Sear for 5 minutes until golden and crispy. Flip and cook the other side for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Add the drumsticks and brown them on 3 sides, about 2 minutes per side. Don’t rush this step – browning adds depth of flavour. Transfer drumsticks to the plate with the thighs. ⚠️ Be mindful when searing skin-on chicken pieces, the skin can pop and hot oil may splash.

Onion, mushrooms and garlic - In the same pan, increase the heat to high and add the mushrooms and onions. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms start to wilt. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Brandy and wine - Pour in the brandy. Carefully flambé (ignite) if desired - let it burn until the flame dies out by itself (~10 seconds). Flambéing intensifies the aroma - and puts on a show! Or simply let it bubble for 20–30 seconds until the alcohol burns off. Add the white wine. Let it simmer rapidly to reduce by half. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the fond (the browned bits stuck to the bottom), which is a crucial ingredient to the creation of our sauce. It will make it rich and complex.

Tomato and stock - Stir in the tomato paste, cook for 1 minute. Then add the stock, salt, and pepper.

Simmer - Return the chicken to the pan skin-side up, nestling them into the stock. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium (bubbling constantly but not rapidly). Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Then remove the lid and simmer uncovered for a further 20 minutes. This allows the sauce to reduce and concentrate while the chicken finishes cooking.

Reduce sauce slightly - Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate. Turn the heat to medium-high, and simmer the sauce for 3 minutes to reduce slightly.

Finish the sauce - Turn off the heat. Scatter half of the COLD butter cubes in then stir until melted. Scatter the rest of the butter cubes in then stir again until melted. This is a classic emulsification technique that gives the sauce a silky, glossy finish (monter au beurre) as well as thickening it slightly. (Note 6)

Serve - Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer again. Return the chicken to the sauce and sprinkle over the fresh tarragon. Take it to the table and serve out of the pan with creamy mashed potato.