How To: COOK our new Huntsman's Chicken

Posted on 28 August 2012

This is a classic and classy entertaining dish. It's incredibly fiddly and time-consuming to make at home... and with the ingredients totting up to a fairly substantial £27.68 we challenge you to make it for any less than £17.95 (for our 4 portion)!

COOK: £17.95 (or you cook: £27.68 + 2.5 hours)

So, what's new?

In the new Huntsman's Chicken, the chicken breasts are stuffed (carefully by hand!) with a new duxelle recipe of porcini and chestnut mushrooms, shallot, double cream and Marsala. This is a more contemporary flavour than the previous version, which included chicken livers and breadcrumbs. The chicken breasts are now wrapped in sweet-cured bacon and each one is garnished with a fresh bayleaf, to give a lovely visual flourish. Our new sauce is a reduction of Marsala (an Italian fortified wine, similar to Port) and French Merlot wine, with porcini mushrooms and redcurrant jelly that delivers a lovely edge of sweetness.

How To Make it Yourself

  • 4 medium chicken breasts
  • A packet of sweet cured streaky bacon
  • 4 fresh bay leaves
Duxelle
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of olive oil
  • 6 peeled shallots
  • Half a packet of chestnut mushrooms
  • A sprig of freshly chopped thyme
  • A pinch of porcini mushroom (finely chopped or blended)
  • Cracked black pepper to taste
  • A sprinkling of grated grano padano
  • A tablespoon of double cream
Sauce
  • A small glass of Merlot Wine
  • A large glass of Marsala Wine
  • A single dried Bay Leaf
  • A sprig of freshly chopped thyme
  • 7 grams of dried porcini
  • 1 cube of chicken stock
  • 3 tablespoons of red currant jelly
  • A splash of Marsala wine and sea salt to taste

Recipe:

  1. Start by preparing the Duxelle which we will use to stuff the chicken breasts.
  2. Begin by lightly chopping the chestnut mushrooms and shallots.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the shallots with salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Fry until soft.
  4. Add the mushrooms, thyme, finely chopped porcini (you can crush this in a pestle mortar or machine blend for the perfect consistency) and marsala wine, cook to sizzle.
  5. Once the Duxelle is dry add the cream and grano padano, mix well and cook for a further 2 minutes. The Duxelle should have a gravy-like consistency.
  6. Place in a container and leave to chill.
  7. To prepare your chicken breasts make an incision with a knife before using your fingers to make wider. 
  8. Equally divide the Duxelle and with a tablespoon stuff your chicken breasts. Place a bay leaf on top of each breast and wrap with a piece of streaky sweet cured bacon.
  9. Cook the chicken at 220 degrees for 15 minutes, turning the breasts half way through.
  10. While the chicken is cooking begin to make your sauce. Mix all of the ingredients together in the pan.
  11. Bring up to the boil and simmer until the sauce is reduced to the consistency of gravy. Add water if it begins to get too thick.
  12. Add an extra splash of marsala and sea salt to taste.
  13. When the chicken is cooked liberally pour the sauce over and serve while hot.

 Or you could buy a ready made Huntsman's Chicken (made by hand at our kitchen in Kent by COOK chefs ) - and sit back and relax instead!