Christmas Chicken with Cherry Sauce
Posted on November 30, 2015 by nerinatimm in Chicken
Christmas Chicken – What makes it so Christmassy? Well, Christmas is about presents and opening parcels……..
Christmas Chicken is like that present under the tree. As you cut through the chicken roll, you fist hit the crispy pancetta, then the soft white chicken meat, then a layer of spinach and in the middle you get the spicy kick from the pork sausage. I cannot think of a better parcel to open.
Yesterday I got an early Christmas present in the form of a box filled with the most plump and delicious cherries I have ever seen. The wonderful people from Du Toit Farmers dropped of the Cherry Time Cherries. As I am typing we are fighting over the last few in the box. Luckily I saved a handful or two to make a cherry sauce for my Christmas Chicken.
I am sure you can follow the same recipe and just use pork fillet, but chicken is a more affordable option so it works for me. The chicken can by made well in advance so you can have an effortless Christmas dinner.
Follow me on:
- 4 chicken fillets
- salt and pepper
- 150 g spinach raw
- 3 - 4 good quality pork sausages remove meat from the casing
- 12 strips pancetta
- 500 ml fresh cherries pitted
- 80 ml sugar
- 1 - 2 star anise
- 15 ml balsamic vinegar
- pinch of salt
- lemon juice to taste
- 5 - 10 ml cornflour
- a little cold water to mix with cornflour
- a few sprigs fresh thyme
- 100 ml water
- Preheat the oven to 180 C.
- Place each chicken breast between two layers of plastic and use a meat mullet and lightly flatten the chicken to about 3-4 mm thick.
- Season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Lay a single layer of spinach on the chicken.
- Use the meat from one sausage and place in a sausage shape at the top end of the chicken closet to you.
- Start rolling the chicken and place on plate with the join at the bottom.
- Use 3 strips of pancetta on each chicken roll and cover the chicken with it.
- Cover the chicken with foil and make sure there are no gaps in the foil.
- Make the other rolls in the same fashion and place on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 - 40 minutes.
- Remove foil and place back in the oven to brown. ( 5 min)
- Place the cherries, thyme, sugar, salt , water and star anise in a pot and bring to the boil.
- Cook until cherries are soft and almost mushy.
- Add the vinegar and lemon juice.
- Mix the corn flour with water and add to the sauce.
- Keep the sauce in a glass jar until needed. Serve with the Christmas Chicken
Een van die heel bestes van laaste VYFJAAR! Dankie Nina