French roast chicken stuffed with fruit and nuts

Serves: 4
Difficulty: Medium

Stéphane Reynaud, the bestselling author of Ripailles: Traditional French Cuisine, shares his recipe for delicious roast chicken stuffed with dried fruit and nuts. It’s a tasty twist on the popular Sunday classic of roast chicken and goes wonderfully with dauphinois potatoes.

Print Recipe

French roast chicken stuffed with fruit and nuts

Stéphane Reynaud, the bestselling author of Ripailles: Traditional French Cuisine, shares his recipe for delicious roast chicken stuffed with dried fruit and nuts. It’s a tasty twist on the popular Sunday classic of roast chicken and goes wonderfully with dauphinois potatoes.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Christmas chicken recipe, French roast chicken stuffed with fruit and nuts, Roast chicken recipe

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 6 chicken Maryland leg quarters leg and thigh with skin on
• 10 g 1⁄4 oz dried cep mushrooms
• 4 tablespoons olive oil plus extra
• 2 French shallots peeled and finely chopped
• 150 g 51⁄2 oz chicken breast fillet, chopped
• 150 g 5 fl oz cream
• 6 dates chopped
• 6 dried apricots chopped
• 50 g 3⁄4 oz/ 1⁄3 cup hazelnuts
• 10 chives chopped
• 6 thin slices prosciutto
• 2 red peppers sliced
• 2 green peppers sliced
• 300 g 101⁄2 oz cherry tomatoes

Instructions

• Bone the chicken Maryland leg quarters, retaining the leg bone and as much of the flesh as possible.
• Rehydrate the dried mushrooms in boiling water, then drain.
• Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the shallot and cook until softened, then add the mushrooms and cook for five minutes.
• Put the chicken breast, cream, dates, apricot, hazelnuts, chives and mushroom mixture in a food processor. Blend until combined ingredients form a smooth stuffing mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).
• Stuff each chicken thigh with the stuffing mixture, then wrap a slice of prosciutto around the thigh and tie with string.
• Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a flameproof roasting tin. Add the peppers and brown over medium heat. Remove from the heat. Drizzle generously with a little more olive oil, then lay the chicken thighs on top. Bake for 35 minutes in the oven.

IMAGE © FRÉDÉRIC LUCANO

Originally published on our sister site, FrenchEntrée