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We learnt: How to butcher whole chicken and how to cook all of its parts: We made broth, Tuscan chicken breasts, Buffalo drumsticks and stuffed thigh ballottine.Â
How to butcher a chicken
Serves: People
Ingredients
- 1 Whole chicken
Method
Sharp chef’s knife or boning knife (ideally poultry scissors, but not necessary)
Method
- It will cost you roughly same amount of money to buy a whole chicken as a pack of 2 breasts. And you will get 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings and carcass extra.
- How to cut your chicken into 4 pieces:
- You will end up having 2 breasts with drummettes attached (1st bone of the wing) as well as 2 full legs (containing drumsticks and thighs).
- First cut the pointy ends of the wings, keep them for your stock
- Next get rid of the wishbone, which is located directly at the neck of the chicken
- Gently cut alongside each side of the wishbone, whicj will detach it from the breast
- Run your finger along both sides and detach the bone. You can keep aside for superstitious funtimes.
- To separate the legs, grab them by its drumsticks and pull away from the body, stretching the skin.
- Cut between the body and leg, only through the skin, don’t go too deep.
- Pul the leg and twist it until the joint pops out of its socket.
- Now just cut through the exposed joint to completely separate the leg.
- Next we need to remove the backbone, ideally using strong poultry scissors
- Cut alongside the spine on both sides which removes the spine, save it for your stock again.
- To split the breasts, place them skin side down on your chopping board and cut throught the bone in the middle.
- And that’s how you cut chicken into 4 pieces
- To portion the chicken further, into 8 pieces, we need to separate drumsticks and thighs, also wings from breasts.
- Grab each leg, find the joint between thighs and drumsticks, cut through it and repeat with the other leg.
- To separate wings from breasts, place the breasts skin side up, locate the joint between them and cut through.
- Now we have 8 pieces of chicken.
- If you wish to debone the breasts completely, place each breast bone side up on the chopping board and place tip of your knife against the breastbone, near the thicker part.
- Cut along the curve of the ribcage.
- Gently pull the meat away from the bone, make sure you don’t leave the mini tenderloin behind.
Chicken Broth (Chef Demo)
Serves: People
Ingredients
For the Broth
- 1 Chicken carcass
- 1 White onion diced
- ½ Celery diced
- 1 Carrot diced
- 5 g Fresh Parsley whole
- 1 Bay leaves
- 2 g Fresh thyme 1 sprig
- 1 clove Garlic minced or grated
- ½ tsp Black peppercorns
- ½ tsp Sea salt
- 1.5 L Water Cold
Method
Method
- Place the Chicken carcass and wings into a large saucepan, removing any excess fatty skin.
- Pour over the Cold water and place over a medium-low heat.
- Bring gently to a simmer, skimming away any impurities from the surface as required. Do not allow the broth to boil rapidly, as this will result in a cloudy stock.
- Add the White onion, Celery, Carrot, Fresh Parsley, Bay leaf, Thyme, Garlic, Black peppercorns and Sea salt.
- Simmer gently for at least 1 hour.
- Remove and discard the Chicken carcass, Bay leaf, Fresh Parsley and Black peppercorns.
- Strain the broth through a fine sieve. For an extra-clear broth, strain through muslin or a fine cheesecloth.
- Use immediately or allow to cool before refrigerating or freezing.
Tuscan Chicken Breasts
Serves: People
Ingredients
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 Chicken Breast Skin on
- Sea salt to taste
- Cracked black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 White onion small, diced
- 2 clove Garlic minced or grated
- 100 g Cherry tomatoes halved
- 120 ml Double cream
- 50 ml White wine
- 3 g Fresh Oregano 3 sprigs, leaves picked
- 25 g Parmesan grated
- 1 Lemon zest and juice
- 5 g Fresh Parsley 1 tbsp, chopped
To Serve
- Crusty bread OR Polenta, OR Pasta
Method
Method
- Preheat the oven to 185°C.
- Season the Chicken breasts with the Sea salt and Cracked black pepper.
- Heat the Olive oil in an ovenproof pan over medium-high heat.
- Sear the chicken for 3–4 minutes on each side until golden but not fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Melt the Butter in the same pan.
- Add the White onion, Fresh Oregano and Garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Pour in the White wine and simmer for 2 minutes until slightly reduced.
- Stir in the Double cream and Cherry tomato and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Return the chicken to the pan.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir through the Parmesan, Lemon zest and Lemon juice.
- Finish with the Fresh Parsley.
To Serve
- Serve immediately with crusty bread, polenta or pasta.
Buffalo Drumsticks
Serves: People
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken drumsticks OR 2 Chicken legs
- ½ tsp Smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp Garlic powder
- Sea salt to taste
- Cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Vegetable oil
For the Buffalo Sauce
- 60 ml Frank's Hot Sauce
- 50 g Butter
To Serve
- ½ Celery Cut into sticks
- Ranch dressing
Method
Method
For the Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 185°C.
- Pat the Chicken drumsticks or Chicken legs dry.
- Combine the Vegetable oil, Smoked paprika, Garlic powder, Sea salt and Cracked black pepper.
- Coat the chicken evenly with the seasoning.
- Arrange on a baking tray and roast for 35–40 minutes, turning halfway through, until cooked through and the skin is crisp.
- For the Buffalo Sauce
- Place the Frank's Hot Sauce and Butter in a small pan over medium heat.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes, stirring until smooth.
To Serve
- Toss the cooked chicken in the Buffalo sauce until evenly coated.
- Serve immediately with the Celery sticks and Ranch dressing.
Stuffed Chicken Thigh Ballotine
Serves: People
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 Banana shallot small, diced
- 25 g Unsalted Butter
- 1 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 clove Garlic minced or grated
- 80 g Chestnut mushrooms diced
- 2 g Fresh thyme 2 sprigs
- 2 tbsp Double cream
For the Ballotine
- 200 g Chicken thighs skinless and boneless 2 chicken thighs
Method
Method
For the Filling
- Heat the Butter and Vegetable oil in a frying pan
- Once hot, add the chopped shallots and fry for two minutes, stirring all the time
- Add the chopped mushrooms and reduce the heat, continue cooking for 10 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and liquid has evapourated
- Stir in the cream and cook for a further two minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool
For the Ballotine
- Lay the Chicken thighs between two sheets of cling film
- Gently flatten using a rolling pin until approximately 1 cm thick.
- Overlap the thighs slightly to form a rectangle.
- Spread the filling evenly over the chicken, leaving a 2 cm border around the edges.
- Roll tightly using the cling film, twisting the ends securely to form a firm sausage shape.
- Bring a large pan of Water to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook the wrapped ballotine for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the water and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Carefully unwrap the ballotine and pat dry.
- Heat the Olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Sear the ballotine on all sides until golden brown.
- Slice into thick rounds before serving.
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