How To: COOK our new Huntsman's Chicken

This is a classic and classy entertaining dish. It's incredibly fiddly and time-consuming to make at home...

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:

STEP 1: Start by preparing the Duxelle which we will use to stuff the chicken breasts.

STEP 2: Begin by lightly chopping the chestnut mushrooms and shallots.

STEP 3: Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the shallots with salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Fry until soft.

STEP 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.

STEP 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.

STEP 6: Place in a container and leave to chill.

STEP 7: To prepare your chicken breasts make an incision with a knife before using your fingers to make wider. 

STEP 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.

STEP 9: Cook the chicken at 220 degrees for 15 minutes, turning the breasts half way through.

STEP 10: While the chicken is cooking begin to make your sauce. Mix all of the ingredients together in the pan.

STEP 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.

STEP 12: Add an extra splash of marsala and sea salt to taste.

STEP 13: When the chicken is cooked liberally pour the sauce over and serve while hot.