Chicken Ballottine Recipes

Steps:

• Firstly neaten the ends of the drumsticks. Using a small sharp knife, make a cut all around each chicken leg, about 4cm up from the knuckle end. Holding the leg like a gun, squeeze it tight to pull the skin taut, then scrape down to the bottom of the bone to remove the tendons and clean the bone, turning the leg as you go (scissors are good for cutting the tendons). Now position your knife across the bottom of the exposed bone and bash the knife with a rolling pin or meat mallet - the bone will break smoothly.
• Lay the chicken legs skin-side down, pull the flaps of skin back and cut the flesh with a very sharp small knife on either side of the thigh bone using a shaving action. Once the bone is exposed, prise it out, then twist and snap it with your fingers to free it from the drumstick. If it doesn't snap clean you may have to cut it. You now have a part-boned chicken leg.
• Lightly sauté the mushrooms in a little hot olive oil for about 5 minutes until lightly browned, season well and leave to cool. Open out the boned chicken legs and spoon in the mushrooms. Cut the end off each chipolata and squeeze the sausagemeat over the mushrooms, using the chipolata skin as a piping bag. Push sausagemeat with your fingers right to the top of the thigh, then close the flaps and pull the skin across to secure. Now roll the legs over to make the parcels as neat as possible, then hold the exposed bone and straighten out each leg.
• Cut 4 sheets of foil (enough to wrap each chicken leg comfortably). Lay 6-7 rashers of pancetta down the centre of each sheet, overlapping slightly, then put the chicken legs crossways over the pancetta and top each leg with 2 sage leaves. Lift up the edge of the foil that is furthest away from you, bring it over the chicken and press down on the chicken, so that the pancetta comes away from the foil and sticks to the chicken. Repeat with the other side of the foil so the chicken legs are all wrapped in pancetta.
• Roll each leg in the foil, tucking it in and pressing it tight to the chicken to form a neat cylinder. Lift the cylinder up by the bone at one end and roll the foil at both ends, twisting to make a cracker shape.
• Preheat oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7. Put the chicken parcels on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, turning them twice. Turning them like this ensures they will be evenly coloured. Turn the oven down to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4 and roast for a further 30 minutes, turning once. Remove and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Unwrap, tipping the juices on to a plate.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil and a knob of butter in a non-stick sauté pan until hot and foaming. Put the chicken legs in the pan and brown over a high heat on all sides, basting frequently and turning with a pair of tongs. As they start to brown, add a few small knobs of butter one at a time to the fat in the pan (adding the butter a little at a time keeps it fresh and prevents scorching). Lift the chicken legs from the pan and roll them around in the juices on the plate so they pick up a nice glaze.
• Cut the stuffed thigh meat of each chicken leg on the diagonal into 3 slices each. Don't slice the meat too thin or it will get cold. Spoon the polenta on to the plates, stand the drumsticks in the middle and lay 3 slices of stuffed chicken in front. Drizzle with a little vinaigrette and serve immediately, with roasted tomatoes on the side.

Steps:

• Lay the bird breast down on a chopping board, with a sharp knife cut along the back bone. Now work all over the carcass leaving the skin in tact, till all the meat has been removed from the bones. Work down the legs and thighs in the same manner till the carcass can be removed. This will take a little time, don't rush the job, enjoy it.
• Melt the butter ina pan and add the onion and cook till soft but not coloured. Remove from the heat. Add the minced meats with the breadcrumbs and all the other stuffing ingredients.
• Stuff the bird and sew along the open edges with fine cotton. Tie with string round the bird at 2" intervals.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a roasting tin, set the bird on a grid and baste with the hot oil.
• Roast in oven at 200 degrees for 1 1/2 hours, basting every 20 minutes.
• To prepare the sauce.
• Heat the oil in a pan add the vegetables and cook till soft but not coloured. Stir in the flour and reduce the heat cook till a golden russet colour. Stir in 1/2 pint of the stock, and the rest of the ingredients.
• Stir till boiling. Reduce the heat and cook at a slow simmer for 30 mins.Add the rest of the stock and cook for five more minutes.
• Fry the mushrooms in the butter till soft.
• Remove the bird to a serving dish. Pour off the cooking fat and deglaze the tin with the sherry. Strain and add to the sauce with the cooked mushrooms.
• Pour a little sauce over the bird and serve.
• Cut the bird across the body not along it, that way the stuffing with be encased inside the meat.