Chicken for special dinners

Press, 6 September 1989, Page 16

Chicken for special dinners

Alison Holst’s

Food Facts

You can cook this dish quickly, but it looks impressive

When you remove the skin and bone from a chicken breast, you are left with a very tender piece of meat that cooks quickly. This breast, i.e. one side of the chicken, is made up of two layers of meat. The inner, smaller layer can often be carefully lifted up from the other, larger outer layer, and opened out, as you would open a book. It should remain still attached to the larger piece, by a sort of hinge. If you now place the breast between two pieces of plastic, and bang it gently with a rolling pin, you should finish up with a sheet of tender meat which can be used to enclose a filling. When this is rolled up, with the filling inside, it is held together, and coated. It may then be cooked in about 5 minutes in a pan; or in a microwave oven, allowing about 2 minutes per breast. I have found that I get the best results if I use

fillings which are made up of ingredients which are precooked. If they are raw, the meat itself needs to be overcooked to cook the filling. I choose my fillings, considering the flavour of the mixture, and the colour and general appearance of it.

One of the tastiest and prettiest stuffings I make is a lightly cooked green leaf of spinach or silverbeet, and a finely chopped bason, onion, mushroom and crumb mixture, wrapped around sweet pickled walnuts. The walnuts could be replaced with pickled fruit, prunes, dried apricots, water chestnuts, gherkins, according to your taste. If you are making stuffed chicken breasts for many people, you will probably serve them whole. If you have extra hands in your kitchen, or are cooking these for no more than four people, and you want a meal that looks impressive, you should slice the cooked

breasts before you serve them. This is only possible if you have a knife sharp enough to slice the meat easily. I use a smallish, serrated knife. For four servings you need: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts Stuffing 1 Tbsp butter 1 small onion, chopped 1 or 2 rashers of bacon y 2 cup finely chopped mushrooms, optional 2 Tbsp soft breadcrumbs 12-20 sweet pickled walnuts, or suitable replacements (see above) Coating Flour 1 egg, lightly beaten . Fine dry breadcrumbs if - frying or savoury crumbs if microwaving To make savoury crumbs, melt 1 Tbsp butter in a flat bottomed microwave dish. Toss with 2 cups of fresh breadcrumbs that have been

made from stale crumbled bread, or in a food processor. Microwave at full power until the crumbs turn evenly brown, stirring often, about 2 to 4 minutes. Make the stuffing by melting the butter, and cooking the chopped onion in it until tender. Then add the finely chopped bacon and mushrooms, and cook again until the bacon is cooked. Stir in the crumbs. Prepare the coating ingredients, and find strong toothpicks, string or rubber bands if'you are microwaving. Prepare the breasts the same day that you plan to eat them. Flatten the breasts as described above, then remove the top sheet of plastic. Spread the filling over the inner surface of each. Decide which way it will be easier to roll the breasts, and arrange the solid central filling. Cut off each end of walnuts, so that

they lie closely together. Roll up, trying to keep the chicken in one piece. Skewer or tie, or rubber band in position. Coat with flour, then the lightly beaten egg, then the crumbs. Use the coloured crumbs if microwaving. Put aside in the refrigerator until required. Cook by sauteeing in a pan with a little butter or oil, turning often, for about 5 minutes, or pour a teaspoon of melted butter or oil over each and microwave on full power, for about 8 minutes. Leave to stand for 3 minutes, then test with a skewer. If pink liquid comes out, cook a Tittle longer.

Remove all skewers etc. before serving. Slice to serve if desired.