Soused chicken breasts

Petti in carpione. Serves 4

Soused chicken breasts ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast portions
• 2 eggs
• 80 g breadcrumbs
• 25 g butter
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 celery stick, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 350 ml white wine vinegar
• 100 ml dry white wine
• 4 fresh sage leaves (or a teapoon of dried)
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• salt and pepper

1. Beat the chicken with a meat mallet until evenly thin.
2. Beat the egg with a pinch of salt in a dish, add the chicken and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Spread out the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Drain the chicken and dip in the breadcrumbs to coat.
3. Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a pan, add the chicken and cook over a medium heat, turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes until golden brown on both sides.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in another pan, add the onion, celery and carrot and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add the vinegar and wine and bring to the boil, then immediately remove from the heat and add the sage and garlic.
5. Place the chicken in a dish, pour the hot marinade over it, leave to cool, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.

Chicken stock

As it’s so important to use good stock, I thought I’d include a recipe. This one came from Gordon Ramsay.

  1      cooked or raw chicken carcass
  2      celery sticks — roughly chopped
  2      leeks — roughly chopped
  1      large  onion — roughly chopped
  2      carrots — roughly chopped
  1      large  thyme sprig (optional)
  1      handful  parsley stalks
  1/2  head  garlic

•  Put the chicken carcasses into a stockpot, cover with 2½ litres water and bring to the boil. Using a large metal spoon, skim off any white scum from the surface.
• Add the vegetables, parsley and garlic to the pan. Return to the boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 2½ hours, skimming occasionally.
• Strain the stock through a colander lined with wet muslin into a large, heatproof bowl. Discard all the debris. Reduce the stock for a stronger flavour, if desired. Cool, chill and use the stock within 3 days or freeze in portions.

Chicken breasts baked with parmesan

Petti di pollo al forno con parmigiano

Serves 4

• 4 chicken breast portions
• 2 eggs
• parmesan cheese, grated
• salt
• butter

1. Crack the eggs into a bowl a beat together with a pinch of salt.
2. Flatten the breasts slightly using a meat mallet or a rolling pin
3. Dip each breast first into the egg mixture, making sure it is completely covered, then into the parmesan, pressing down with your fingers so it sticks to the fillets.
4. Preheat the oven to 200 C. Butter a baking tray, add the chicken and liberally spot with small knobs of butter
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes

Chicken with mushrooms

 Pollo ai funghi. If you don’t have enough dried mushrooms, you can add a few regular white mushrooms to bulk it out. Serves 4

150 grams dried mushrooms (preferably wild mushrooms)
1      whole chicken cut into portions (or chicken pieces, legs and thighs etc)
2      tablespoons plain flour
25    grams butter
3      tablespoons olive oil
2      shallots (or baby onions) — sliced
1      glass dry white wine
2     tablespoons passata
2     tablespoons chopped parsley
       salt and pepper

• Put the mushrooms in a bowl, add hot water to cover and leave to soak for 15 minutes, then drain and squeeze out. Keep the liquid for flavouring soups or stews.
• Heat the butter and oil in a pan. Add the chicken and fry, turning frequently, until browned all over.
• Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook for a few minutes, then add the wine and cook until it has evaporated.
• Add the passata and 3 tablespoons of water and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook until the chicken is tender. Cooking time will depend on the chicken – it could take up to an hour
• Tranfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with the parsley.

Stuffed chicken legs with Parma ham.

This dish looks quite tricky to prepare but is actually very easy. It’s been a favourite of mine for a while now. It turns an ordinary chicken leg into quite a show off dish. Serves 4

Stuffed Chicken Leg ingredients

• 4 whole chicken legs — leg and thigh
• 4 slices parma ham
• 50 grams bread crumbs — freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon parsley — chopped
• 1/4 whole nutmeg — grated
• 75 grams mortadella — chopped
• 1 clove garlic — chopped
• 2 eggs
• pepper

• Bone the legs. This is a bit fiddly but not too difficult. You should get one roughly rectangular shaped fillet from each leg.

Boned fillet

• Mix together the eggs, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, mortadella and nutmeg to make the stuffing. Season with pepper. Don’t add salt because both the mortadella and the parma ham are quite salty.
• Place 1/4 of the mix along the centre of each leg fillet.

Fillet with stuffing

• Roll up to form a sausage shape and then wrap with a slice of Parma ham. If the slices are quite small then you might have to use two. It is easiest if you place the ham flat on a chopping board, place the chicken on top and then roll up.

stuffed chicken leg ready to cook

• Place on an oiled baking tray and roast for 20 minutes at 200°C 400°F or gas mark 6
• Allow to rest for a few minute and then slice into thick rounds.

Stuffed chicken leg finished dish

Note. The is my version of a recipe by Antonio Carluccio. The original used back bacon instead of Parma ham. If you use bacon you will probably have to tie the fillets with kitchen string. You will also need to brown them in olive oil before roasting

Chicken with capers and lemon

Finally something other than pasta This is another really simple dish which tastes great. My attempt to recreate a dish I was served in a university canteen last week. I’m still trying to get my head around the idea that it doesn’t seem to be possible to eat badly here, even in a student canteen!

In the original version the chicken was beaten into a steak, but I prefer it au natural  It works best with salted capers but it’s still good with pickled. You must soak either variety first though.

If you can’t find unwaxed lemons, you can wash the wax off in hot water.

 

Serves 4

  4       chicken breasts without skin
           flour for dusting
  50    grams  butter
  1       tablespoon  capers — preferably salted
  1       large  lemon — unwaxed if possible
           salt and pepper

• Dust the chicken breasts with flour
• Soak the capers in cold water for a few minutes and drain. Squeeze and zest the lemon.
• Fry the chicken breasts in the butter until golden brown. About 15-20
  minutes depending on the size.
• Remove the chicken and keep warm.
• Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice.
• Add the zest and the capers and stir well.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour over the chicken breasts and serve.

Ps I was in an artistic mood when I took this shot. Didn’t really work though