Fodder’s Chicken Ballotine

Main courseServes 4

Chicken legs are a much more economical cut of meat than fillets and keeping the skin on will ensure you get a tasty, crispy outer texture whilst keeping the meat moist underneath. The juicy stuffing will also help to ensure the chicken does not dry out during cooking. This recipe from Harrogate based award winning food shop and café Fodder is simple to achieve but looks impressive so is perfect to serve to friends.  For more information on Fodder including their archive of delicious recipes visit their new website www.fodder.co.uk  

Ingredients

Ingredients

2 tablespoons rapeseed oil

4 boneless chicken legs, skin left on

250g sausage meat

100g dried apricots, finely diced

8 sage leaves, finely chopped

4 beetroot heads, quartered

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 large cauliflower, cut into small florets

300ml milk (enough to cover the cauliflower)

250g Button Mushrooms, quartered

Sprinkling of nutmeg.

 

Method

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°
  1. Combine the sausage meat, apricots and sage in a bowl then divide the mixture into four. With the chicken leg skin side down on a chopping board, spread the stuffing mixture lengthways down the leg.
  1. Wrap the meat around the stuffing totally encasing it. Secure with a cocktail stick or skewer.
  1. Heat the oil, on high, in a large oven proof pan. Seal the stuffed chicken on all sides until it has a nice colour to the skin. Remove from the heat.
  1. Arrange the beetroot and butternut squash around the meat and drizzle with a little more rapeseed oil. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes. Add the mushrooms to roast in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
  1. Meanwhile boil the cauliflower in the milk until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain and puree in a food blender.
  1. Check the chicken is completely cooked through before slicing the legs and arranging each one on a plate. Divide the roasted vegetables between each plate, before adding the cauliflower puree. Add a sprinkle of nutmeg to the puree before serving for an extra spiciness.