Chicken delight

CHICKEN STUFFED WITH PISTACHIOS

INGREDIENTS

SERVES 8

1 whole chicken, about 6 lb (2.7 kg) 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped 2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic (unpeeled is fine)

FOR THE STUFFING

115g ground veal

225g butter, chopped

115g pistachios, chopped

30g ground almonds

Half an apple, such as Granny Smith, finely chopped Grated zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon ground coriander Half teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper 2 eggs, lightly whisked

FOR THE SAUCE

2 tablespoons butter

30g flour

White pepper

Handful of pistachios, for garnish

METHOD

1. Bone the chicken or ask your local butcher to do it. To make the stuffing, mix the veal, butter, pistachios, almonds, apple, lemon zest, coriander, allspice, salt, black pepper, and eggs in a bowl.

2. Spread the chicken, skin side down, on a work surface. Form two-thirds of the stuffing into a thick sausage shape in the middle of the chicken. Use the remaining one-third to stuff the legs.

3. Now fold the chicken around the stuffing and truss it securely with string.

4. Now wrap the chicken package in parchment paper and wrap in a clean kitchen towel then tie up with string.

5. Put the chicken into a large saucepan and add water just to cover. Add the celery, carrots, and garlic and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 90 minutes.

6. Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave for 15 mins. Unwrap the chicken but leave the trussing intact, then let cool completely, cover, and chill in the fridge. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve 480ml for the sauce.

7. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, then whisk in flour until smooth. Reduce the heat and stir to cook off the raw flour flavour. Add the reserved cooking liquid slowly.

8. You’ll need to add about 240ml of the reserved liquid. You should finish with a smooth sauce. Season with the white pepper (you can use black, but you’ll have specks in your sauce) and keep warm for serving.

9. Remove string. Put chicken on a plate. Garnish with pistachios and add sauce.