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APPLE-STUFFED CHICKEN

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Most cooks I know look at the chicken breast as the magnolia of food; that is, rather uneventful and bland. I happen to like the magnolia, but back to the chicken breast – give it a chance! It’s a blank canvas, ready and willing to play along with anything you suggest. The trick is just to keep it juicy. Well, few things turn a chicken breast into the main event at your table quite like stuffing it and wrapping it in fine slithers of prosciutto. But something I’ve never tried is stuffing a chicken breast with apple. Where have you been all my life?! Of course, choosing the right variety is all important, but to me, Pink Lady apples offered just the right combination of tart sweetness to remind these unspirited morsels of how much fun they’ve been missing out on. And to give this party platter the JAN twist, why not garnish it with crisp apple cones? Yes, this dish is without a doubt my new crowdpleaser.

APPLE STUFFED CHICKEN

TIME: 1 hour (plus overnight freezing) | SERVES: 4

JAN Apple stuffed chicken
INGREDIENTS

for the apple cones
3 Pink Lady Apples

for the apple-stuffed chicken breasts
4 deboned chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Pink Lady Apples
juice of 1 lemon
4 sage leaves (I used the salvia Africana, or wild sage)
4 slices prosciutto crudo
olive oil

for the mustard beurre blanc sauce
60 ml white wine
60 ml white wine vinegar
30 ml shallot, finely chopped
80 ml cream
2 ml salt
230 g (250 ml) unsalted butter, cubed
15 ml Dijon mustard

METHOD

for the apple cones

Pour the water into a bowl and add the sliced lemons, then slice the cheeks of the apples. Using a mandolin slicer, slice the apple cheeks into very thin slices. If the slices are not very thin, they will crack when folding them into cones.

Place the slices of the apple in the lemon water to prevent them from discolouring. Fold the apple slices into cone shapes. When placing them on baking paper, place them with the edges that meet at the bottom. Place the apple cones in the freezer overnight and keep them there until needed.

for the apple-stuffed chicken breasts

Heat the oven to 180 °C. Carefully slice the chicken breast open and season with salt and pepper.

Halve 2 apples and remove the pips. Sprinkle with lemon juice and arrange the apple slices on one half of the opened chicken breast. Close the chicken breast and season again with salt and pepper. Slice the third apple into rings and place one ring on top of each chicken breast.

Place one sage leaf on top and wrap a slice of prosciutto crudo around it. Drizzle a little olive oil onto an oven-proof dish and place the chicken pieces in the dish. Drizzle a little olive oil on top of the chicken and place it in the oven. Cook for 25 – 30 minutes.

for the mustard beurre blanc sauce

Boil the wine, vinegar and shallot in a saucepan until reduced to about 45 ml. Add the cream and season with the salt. Simmer for 1 minute. Add the butter, cube by cube, stirring all the time and lifting the pan from the heat occasionally to cool the mixture.

Once all the butter has been added, add the mustard and mix well. Let the sauce rest for about 2 minutes before serving. Pour the sauce on a large serving plate. Arrange the chicken breast on top.

Take the apple cones out of freezer and arrange on the plate. Serve immediately.

JAN apple cone
JAN Apple stuffed chicken
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