Chicken and Mushroom Ballotine with Pan Roasted Figs and Crushed Cobnuts
Chicken and Mushroom Ballotine with Pan Roasted Figs and Crushed Cobnuts

Chicken and Mushroom Ballotine with Pan Roasted Figs and Crushed Cobnuts

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Total time:

  • Portion/Yield:

    Serves 4

  • Difficulty:

    Experienced

The plan was to make a stuffed chicken ballotine with one of the two legs and the other would be used to create the stuffing. I made a chicken mousse with the chicken leg meat, sauteed mushrooms and crushed cobnuts. I stuffed the de-boned chicken leg and wrapped it in slices of pancetta, which was then poached and once my guests arrived  I pan fried the outside to crisp the pancetta.

The final dish was superb, and was a beautiful combination of a warm and cold starter with pan roasted Turkish figs, watercress and a butternut squash puree made from the trimmings,left from the day before, and finally some crushed cobnuts. One leg is big enough to serve four people comfortably with two slices of ballotine per person.photo of Chicken and Mushroom Ballotine with Pan Roasted Figs and Crushed Cobnutsphoto of Chicken and Mushroom Ballotine with Pan Roasted Figs and Crushed Cobnutsphoto of Chicken and Mushroom Ballotine with Pan Roasted Figs and Crushed Cobnutsphoto of Chicken and Mushroom Ballotine with Pan Roasted Figs and Crushed Cobnuts

Ingredients & Method

For the chicken ballotine

  • 2 whole corn fed free range chicken legs
  • 100ml double cream
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 100g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
  • 1tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1tablespoon mixed chopped fresh parsley, oregano and thyme
  • 4 cobnuts crushed
  • 10 slices of pancetta

For the watercress vinaigrette

  • 40g fresh watercress, stalks removed
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 50ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1tsp honey
  • 1tsp cider vinegar
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

To serve

  • 8 chestnut mushrooms, cut into quarters
  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
  • 3 figs, cut in 1/4's
  • 4 Cobnuts crushed

First prepare the chicken ballotine. Bring a medium size saucepan filled with water to the boil while making the stuffing.

Heat a medium size non-stick frying pan with the butter and saute the sliced mushrooms with seasoning until golden brown, drain on kitchen paper. In a food processor blend the diced bread meat until smooth, add half of the cream and pulse a couple of times. Add seasoning and the rest of the cream, pulse another two times and transfer the chicken mousse to a smaller mixing bowl. Do not over blend the mousse as it will separate. Fold the cooled drained mushrooms, crushed cobnuts and chopped herbs into the mousse, refrigerate.

De-bone the chicken legs, keeping the skin on and the chicken leg whole. Make sure that there are no splinters of bone left on the inside. Stuff the legs with the mousse and roll the legs up.photo of Chicken and Mushroom Ballotine with Pan Roasted Figs and Crushed Cobnutsphoto of Chicken and Mushroom Ballotine with Pan Roasted Figs and Crushed Cobnutsphoto of Chicken and Mushroom Ballotine with Pan Roasted Figs and Crushed Cobnuts

Lay 5 slices of pancetta flat on the chopping board and place one stiffed chicken leg on top, roll the pancetta around the chicken leg and wrap in a double layer of clingfilm. Repeat the process with the secnd chicken leg. Poach the ballotines in the simmering water for 30 minutes, make sure that the water is simmering and not boiling too fast.

In the meantime make the watercress vinaigrette. Blend the watercress, mustard, honey and vinegar with seasoning in blender and puree until smooth. Slowly add the oil and blend to emulsify, adjust the seasoning if needed.

Remove the clingfilm from the ballotine. Heat a large non-stick frying pan with one teaspoon of butter and brown the pancetta until crispy, drain the ballotines on kitchen paper. Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper and return to the heat. Melt the remaining butter and saute the mushrooms for 3 –  4minute and add the figs for the last minute brown them on both cut sides until golden, remove from the pan. Slice the chicken into slices, arrange on four serving plates, with the figs and scatter over the cobnuts and garnish with dressed salad leaves. Drizzle over the watercress vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

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