Episode 63: Poultry

Simply the Best Roast Chicken
Chicken Reduction
Asian Stir Fried Chicken
Sesame-Ginger Chicken Goujons
Chicken Roulade with Blue Cheese, Black Walnuts, Spinach & Basmati Rice
Chicken Stuffed with Dried Cranberries, Apricots, Roasted Garlic, Arugula & Breadcrumbs, Wrapped in Bacon with a Port and Redcurrant Sauce

SIMPLY THE BEST ROAST CHICKEN

For the garlic butter:
1 pound salted butter, soft
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup assorted thyme, tarragon, parsley
cracked black pepper

For the chicken:
1 whole chicken
2 shallots, chopped
2 rashers bacon, chopped
½ tablespoon butter
1 spring thyme
½ cup breadcrumbs

Pre-heat the oven at 375 degrees.
Preparation time is 35 minutes
Ease of preparation is moderate

Debone the chicken, removing the breasts from the carcass but leaving them on the bone with skin. Debone the thighs. Stuff the skin of the breasts with the garlic butter.

Sauté the shallots in the butter. Add the bacon, the thyme removed from its sprigs and the breadcrumbs. Sauté for a couple of minutes or until the mixture begins to brown.

Stuff the de-boned thighs of chicken with the mixture. Tie with kitchen string and wrap in tin foil.

Roast the breasts in the 375-degree oven for 35 minutes and the thighs for between 35 and 45 minutes. Remove the breasts from the oven and allow them to rest for 15 minutes while the thighs are finishing cooking.

Yield: 4 servings
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CHICKEN REDUCTION
 4 shallots, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 litres of chicken stock
3 ounces butter
salt and pepper

Preparation time is 20 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Sauté the shallots in the olive oil until they begin to caramelize. Deglaze the pan with some chicken stock. Add the remainder and reduce the liquid until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Finish by stirring in the cold butter and season to taste.

Yield: 6 servings
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ASIAN STIR FRIED CHICKEN
3 chicken breasts
pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 garlic clove, chopped
2 inches fresh ginger
1 head rapini
1 small head baby bok choy
1 head gai lan (Chinese broccoli)
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 scallions, chopped

Preparation time is 20 minutes
Ease of preparation is easy

Lay the chicken breasts flat on a board and cut into long strips. Season with pepper.

Chop the largest bok choy leaves if necessary. Blanch the bok choy, rapini and gai lan in boiling salted water. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan until golden brown.

Add the sesame oil to a hot wok. Add the chicken and brown. Add the garlic, some chopped fresh ginger and then the gai lan, rapini and the bok choy. Allow to cook for a minute, tossing all the time. Add the oyster, hoisin, teriyaki and soy sauces. Toss until the sauces bubble. Remove from the heat and just before serving turn in the brean sprouts, which should remain crisp. Serve with toasted sesame seeds and scallions sprinkled over the top.

Serve over Asian noodles

Yield: 4 servings
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SESAME-GINGER CHICKEN GOUJONS

For the sauce:
1/2 cup light soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoons ginger, grated
1 cup sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey

For the chicken:
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
2 tablespoons sesame oil
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
3 inches ginger root, peeled and grated
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups sesame seeds, toasted
2 eggs, beaten with a fork
2 cups flour
1 cup sesame oil to fry

Preparation time is 20 minutes, marinating time is 1 hour
Ease of preparation is easy

Mix the ingredients for the sauce.

Cut the chicken breasts into finger-sized portions. Mix together the sesame oil, cider vinegar, soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic and put the chicken in it to marinate for a hour.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and dry them on paper towels. Toss in seasoned flour, then dip in the eggs, then dip in the sesame seeds. Cover generously.

Drop the sesame chicken strips into hot sesame oil to cook. Remove when they are golden brown on all sides.

Serve with the soy and ginger sauce.

Yield: 4 servings
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CHICKEN ROULADE WITH BLUE CHEESE, BLACK WALNUTS, SPINACH AND BASMATI RICE
2 tablespoons chopped shallots
¼ cup unsalted butter
8 ounces blue cheese
½ cup black walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 cup basmati rice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup fresh spinach, cleaned and stemmed
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation time is 45 minutes
Ease of preparation is moderate
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Cook the shallots in 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small sauté pan over a medium heat until lightly golden. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Combine the shallots with the blue cheese and walnuts.

Cook the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and onion in a large saucepan over a medium heat until the onion is translucent. Add the rice and stir until well coated. Add the water, cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until tender. Fold in the chives, season to taste and keep warm.

Lay the chicken breasts flat on a cutting board and pound with a mallet until ¼-inch thick. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Layer the spinach on top of the chicken and spoon the filling along one edge of each piece. Tightly roll up the chicken breasts and tie with kitchen string.

Heat the olive oil in a small roasting pan over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken on all sides until golden brown. Place the pan in the 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest of a couple of minutes. Remove the string and slice cross-wise. Serve with a pile of rice in the centre of a plate, topped with the roulade slices.

Yield: 4 servings
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CHICKEN STUFFED WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES, APRICOTS, ROASTED GARLIC, ARUGULA AND BREADCRUMBS, WRAPPED IN BACON WITH A PORT AND REDCURRANT SAUCE
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup dried apricots
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 bulb garlic, roasted
1 bunch arugula
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
8 pieces bacon
2 shallots, chopped
2 cups port
3 tablespoons redcurrant jelly

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 1 ½ hours
Ease of preparation is easy

Put the garlic on a baking sheet to roast for 40 minutes or until soft. Chop the apricots into small pieces and mix with the cranberries. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the fruit mixture. Combine with breadcrumbs. Drop the arugula into a pan with the olive oil to wilt. Add the arugula to the stuffing mix. Season with salt and pepper.

Make a slit in the side of the chicken breast and make a hole in the centre with your finger. Stuff as much of the stuffing into the hole as you can. Wrap the chicken breast in bacon to cover. This may need two pieces per breast. Tie with kitchen string.

Heat a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the bacon-wrapped chicken breasts and cook for a couple of minutes or until the bacon has begun to render on all sides. Move to another baking pan and move to the oven and cook for a further 25 minutes or until fully cooked through.

In the pan where you rendered the bacon, add the shallots and sauté. Deglaze the pan with the port and reduce by a half. Add the redcurrant jelly and stir until dissolved.

Serve on a bed of spinach with the port redcurrant sauce

Yield: 4 servings
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Recipes compliments of Chef Ned Bell