Christmas dinner Wellington

SERVES 8 PREP 30 mins plus freezing COOK 1 hr 15 mins MORE EFFORT G

1 tbsp oil

1 onion, finely chopped

6 chicken breasts

400g sausagemeat small bunch winter herbs (we used rosemary, thyme and sage), chopped

100g fresh breadcumbs

10 slices prosciutto or parma ham 250g jar cranberry sauce

2 x 500g blocks all-butter puff pastry plain flour, for rolling

1 egg, plus 1 yolk roast potatoes, vegetables and gravy, to serve (optional)

1 Heat the oil in a pan. Cook the onion for 8-10 mins until soft. Tip into a bowl and leave to cool.

2 Cover a chopping board with cling film and place a chicken breast on top, then cover it with more cling film. Use a rolling pin to gently bash the thicker part of the chicken until the whole chicken breast is an even thickness, about 1/2 cm. Repeat with the remaining breasts. 3 Mix the sausagemeat, herbs and breadcrumbs into the cooled onions. On your worktop, make a double layer of cling film about

30 x 40cm. Lay the prosciutto on top, covering as much of the surface area as possible. Top with the chicken breasts, completely covering the prosciutto, placing them to fit together – cut into smaller pieces if you need to. Season the chicken.

4 Cover the chicken with the sausagemeat, spreading it right to the edges. Stir the cranberry sauce to loosen it, then spread over the sausagemeat. From one of the longer sides, roll the chicken up tightly, using the cling film to help you but keeping it on the outside, while encasing the fillings in a spiral inside. The prosciutto should be the outermost layer. Roll it in a large sheet of cling film, twist at the ends to seal and freeze for 30 mins.

5 Roll out one block of pastry on a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment. Unwrap the chicken roulade and place on top of the pastry. Trim the pastry to a rectangle, leaving 2-3cm all the way around the roulade. Save the offcuts for decorating the top.

6 Roll out the second piece of pastry to the same thickness as the first. Whisk together the egg and yolk and brush a little around the edge of the pastry base. Drape the second piece of pastry over the chicken, moulding it tightly around the roulade and pushing out any air pockets. Trim off any excess pastry, leaving a border of about 2cm. 7 Crimp the border with your thumb and forefingers, or use a fork (flour the fork if the pastry begins to stick) to press around the edge to seal. Brush the Wellington all over with egg wash. Use the reserved pastry offcuts to decorate the Wellington as you like, or score through the top layer with a sharp knife. Cover and chill for at least 1 hr, up to 48 hrs. Can be frozen at this stage for up to two months (defrost in the fridge before cooking). When you’re ready to cook, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

8 If you have any egg wash left over, brush the Wellington with a little more just before baking. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins until the pastry is golden and crisp. If you have previously frozen the Wellington, then poke a sharp knife into the centre and check the tip comes out very hot to check it is cooked through. Serve with mash or roast potatoes, veg and gravy, if you like. Chicken is much juicier than beef, so have some kitchen paper to hand ready for when you cut into the Wellington.

PER SERVING 935 kcals • fat 52g • saturates 22g • carbs 64g • sugars 16g • fibre 6g • protein 49g • salt 3g Visit bbcgoodfood.com for all your sides and sauces recipes. With this Wellington, we like to serve the make-ahead prosecco & wild mushroom gravy (replace the turkey giblets with extra chicken wings), braised red cabbage and all-thetrimmings traybake.