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.
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.