Chicken Ballotine

Photo: flickr user clurr

Ingredients

1 whl chicken

1 cup orzo pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 shallot

1 cup fresh cranberries

cup walnuts

1 cup brandy

fresh sage

1 egg

1 cup maple syrup

salt

pepper

pork caul fat

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the wings or the chicken, separate the leg joints and wing joints. De-bone your chicken by turning the bird upside down and splitting the skin. Remove the backbone and bones from the legs. Do not remove the skin. You should be left with fully de-boned chicken meat ready for stuffing.

Meanwhile, place the orzo pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until al dente. Drain and place in a bowl.

In a frying pan on medium heat, add the diced the shallots to the olive oil to caramelize, approximately 3 minutes. Add the fresh cranberries and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the walnuts and continue to saute.

Flambe the shallots, nuts and cranberry mixture in the brandy and add a chiffonade of fresh sage. Add this mixture to the orzo. Crack in the egg and add any leftover raw chicken pieces from the carcass. Add 1/2 cup maple syrup. Season to taste and mix well.

Place the chicken skin side down with breast meat on the right and leg meat on the left on the work surface. Season with salt and pepper. Place the stuffing in the middle and roll the chicken up towards the top of the board. The chicken tube may now be wrapped in pork fat for stability and flavour. Truss with string.

Season the outside of the bird with salt and pepper, sear it in a medium frying pan on high heat until it begins to colour, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a roasting pan and finish roasting in the oven until the meat reaches 160 degrees internally, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Baste with maple syrup while it is roasting. Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.