Category: chicken

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Stuffed Chicken Wrapped in Pancetta

Stuffed Chicken Wrapped in Pancetta

I took some chicken breasts and flattened them with my hand. I prefer thighs over the breast meat in the main as I believe the flavour is so much better and is less likely to dry out, though with this method, that is unlikely to happen.

I then took some sausage-meat (by taking the skin of some good quality sausages) and added some finely chopped parsley and some pine nuts.

I laid out four or five slices of pancetta onto a square of foil. I laid the chicken breast out on the foil. I placed some of the sausage-meat mixture on the chicken thigh and then rolled the chicken, and then ensured that the pancetta covered the chicken. I then rolled the foil up into a parcel. I ensured (by squeezing) that all the foil parcels were the same size (for even cooking).

The chicken parcels were then poached for twenty minutes, then they were removed from the water.

At this stage (in theory) you should leave them in the fridge to rest and firm up for some time. I didn’t have the time so I left them for ten minutes.

You can pan fry them (ensure that they are dry), however I roasted mine in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes with a splash of olive oil.

I served the chicken on a bed of sauted mushrooms in a red wine sauce, with steamed vegetables, roasted potatoes and yorkshire puddings.

Delicious.

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Grilled chicken on green lentils

 Grilled chicken on green lentils

For the grilled chicken, take a chicken breast, I used a free range corn fed chicken breast which I flattened with my hand (though you could take a rolling pin to it). I seasoned the chicken with seasoning and olive oil before placing under a hot grill for 15-20 minutes.

For the lentils eat a frying pan and add some chopped pancetta. There is no need to add any extra oil as there is usually sufficient fat in the pancetta.

Pancetta

Finely chop an onion. Add the onion to the frying pan with the pancetta.

I softened in a frying pan, the finely chopped onion with the pancetta. When the onion was nicely soft I then added some red wine and beef stock before simmering it down.

I use beef stock over chicken stock just because of the colour rather than flavour. I then reduced and reduced this.

Then add some sliced mushrooms.

I then added the green lentils, I used a tin, for convenience and speed. Once the lentils had heated through I then plated up.

On go the lentils and then slice the grilled chicken and place on top.

Serve with steamed vegetables.

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Pot Roast Chicken

This is a “throw it in the oven” type meal, which is perfect for when it is cold (so probably not such a good choice now it is getting warmer.

Take a large pot (one which you can put on a gas burner and in the oven), put some olive oil. Add some diced onion, soften. Then add some vegetables and ensure that it is coated with the oil.

Add some chicken stock.

Add a chicken.

Place in the oven for about two hours or until the chicken is cooked.

The chicken will be lovely and tender.

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Grilled Lemon Chicken

Take some chicken thighs, I much prefer the flavour of thighs. Place in a bowl, add the juice and zest of a lemon. I also then cut the lemon up and add that. Add some chopped flat leaf parsley, ground black pepper, olive oil and white wine vinegar.

Mix to ensure you coat the chicken and place in a roasting tray.

Roast at the top of a hot oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Serve with a green salad (and other salads as well).

You could barbecue this chicken dish, but if I was going to do this, I might poach the chicken first so to ensure that it is cooked through.

A note about the lemon, only use the zest if it is an unwaxed lemon otherwise or you will be adding is waxy zest (ugh).

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Lentils with Chicken

Chicken with Lentils

This was a dish I recently served up.

The lentils were cooked in my usual way which is outlined in this blog article.

I poached the chicken, I take a pan of water, add some herbs, some onion, a carrot and if I had other veg I add that.

I bone the chicken and place in the pan and simmer for ten minutes.

Remove allow to dry for a while.

I then sliced and placed on a very hot griddle to add some colour.

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Roasting a chicken

Currently roasting a chicken.

Chicken is an organic free range bird, stuffed with a sausagemeat stuffing and draped with pancetta bacon.

Going to serve it with traditional accompaniments including roast potatoes, roast parsnips and steamed vegetables.

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Christmas Dinner

Well we had a really nice Christmas Dinner. We had roast chicken, roast saddle of venison and a boned and stuffed roast duck.

The chicken was a free range corn fed bird which I stuffed with a homemade herb and sausage meat stuffing.  I also added butter under the skin to keep the breast meat moist. The venison I wrapped in pancetta and simply roasted on a bed of chopped veg. The duck was purchased from Sainsburys and was boned and stuffed with an apricot stuffing.

All were delicious.

I served the meats with roast potatoes, roast parsnips (which were coated in an olive oil and honey), steamed vegetables, a variety of additional stuffings, chipolatas and yorkshire puddings.

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No Christmas Four Bird Roast

Well my plan for a Christmas Four Bird Roast was scuppered this year. I had intended to order one from Marks and Spencers which consisted of Turkey, Goose, Duck, Chicken.

Marks and Spencers Four Bird Roast

However when I went to order it was apparent that many others had had the same idea and it had sold out! I am guessing that a) a lot of people were like me and liked the concept b) the Marks and Spencers version was good value for money at £100. There was no way you could even do it yourself for £100. Waitrose’s version was £120 and only consisted of a three bird roast.

So instead…

We’re going to have (separately) chicken, duck and venison.

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Christmas Four Bird Roast

I was (as I suspect others were) with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s incredible ten bird roast he did for Christmas for this River Cottage series.

This year I am considering having a four bird roast for Christmas.

Marks and Spencers Four Bird Roast

Now the key question for me is do I do it myself, or because of time constraints do I buy one in. I am considering getting one from Marks and Spencers but wondering if I can get a better one elsewhere.

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Tough

For lunch today I popped into Debenhams in Bristol which I know is never the best place to go and eat (especially as there are more choices now with Cabot’s Circus open) however they do nice children’s lunch boxes which the children like.

I decided to try the Chicken Kebab on Flat Bread with Sweet Chilli sauce, which came in at £4.75

Well it was cooked fresh to order (so the sign said) and was one of the reason I chose it, rather than go for something which had been standing under the hot lamp for a while.

After about eight minutes it was ready (they use those buzzer things) and off I popped to pick it up.

Let’s just say it was nothing to shout home about, something I wouldn’t recommend to anyone and I would never buy it again.

The chicken was just plain tough, and was merely cooked chicken re-heated, hardly freshly cooked to order! It’s surprising how tough twice cooked chicken can be. Also not very much of it, just a single skewer. Why do places like Debenhams which for example were cooking gammon from fresh can’t do the same with the chicken? The flat bread was like a naan, but tough, almost stale in places. The sweet chilli sauce was way too sweet and didn’t really have any kick.

Overall I was very disappointed, I was expecting it to be much better than it was, my local kebab shop could do much better.