Chicken with Goats Cheese, Date and Pistachio Stuffing

, from Issue #22. September, 2015
Photography by Nick Tresidder.
Chicken with Goats Cheese, Date and Pistachio Stuffing

Ask your butcher to bone these Marylands for you if it is not a cut they usually stock.

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

4 boned chicken Marylands, thigh and drumstick, skin on, in one piece with no holes
2 pure chicken or pork sausages
1 egg white
50 grams soft goat’s cheese
3 fresh dates, pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons pistachios
1 clove garlic, crushed
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped mint or flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad
250 grams green beans
1 apple, julienned
2 tender stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

METHOD

Chicken: Remove the sausages from their skins, place in a food processor with the egg white and pulse to combine. Tip into a bowl. Mash the goat’s cheese with a fork and stir into the sausage mixture along with the remaining ingredients. Season and combine thoroughly.

Place the chicken, skin side down, on the bench and season.

Divide the stuffing mixture between the pieces of chicken and spread to an even layer. Fold the chicken in half and tie with kitchen string to secure.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Put the chicken in a baking dish and season. Roast for 40 minutes, turning over after 20 minutes. Remove to a plate, cover loosely and rest for 10 minutes or leave to cool completely.

Salad: Cook the beans in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and refresh. Dry with kitchen towels and slice on the diagonal.

Combine the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss with the olive oil and lemon juice. Season.

To serve: Remove the string and slice the chicken on the diagonal. Divide the salad between plates and top with the chicken. Vine roasted tomatoes are a nice accompaniment.