CHICKEN WELLY STUFFED WITH CREAMY PEPPERED MUSHROOMS AND PARMA HAM

 

 

CHICKEN WELLINGTON WITH SUMPTUOUS CREAMY CHESTNUT MUSHROOM STUFFING AND PARMA HAM WRAP, ENCASED IN ROUGH PUFF PASTRY

 

(Serves 2)

 

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts

10 chestnut mushrooms sliced

1 clove garlic grated

100ml double cream

50ml dry white wine

6 slices of Parma ham
50g butter (xtra for new pots)
2 tbsp ooil
Salt and pepper
1 sprig thyme
1 kg new potatoes

FOR THE ROUGH PUFF PASTRY
1 pack ready made puff pastry or make your own
400g plain flour
200g cold butter diced
Iced water
1 good pinch salt

FOR GLAZE
1 egg yolk beaten with 2tbsp milk

First make the rough puff pastry, as this will need to chill before use.  Place the flour, butter and salt in a bowl toss the butter in the flour until coated, add the iced water a bit at a time till you have a firm dough, less is best with pastry, then bring the dough together to form a ball, you want this rough dough ball to look mottled with chunks of butter as this is what creates the puff in the pastry.

Shape the dough to a rectangle then on a well floured surface rolling away from you roll out a rectangle approx 2" thick, fold the far third towards you and then the bottom up over that so you now have a rectangle a third of the size, turn 90 degrees, (one quarter) to the right, now repeat the process again, you need to do this at least four times, this is what creates the light flaky puff layers, ideally you want to repeat the process seven times.  You can chill the pastry in between if it becomes to warm to work with.  Once this is finished wrap and chill the pastry for 1 hour.  Roll out into a 2" thick rectangle approx 8" square, enough just to wrap the chicken breast in.

Now take your chicken breast, at the top on the side slide in your small sharp knife and just wiggle left and right, you are creating a deep pocket with just a small incision. Season the pocket with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Melt the butter and ooil in a pan and gently soften the onion and garlic, add the mushrooms and fry until just soft, add the white wine and simmer to reduce by half, add the cream and reduce until thick, season with black pepper, salt and thyme.  Stuff the mushrooms and sauce into the chicken pocket and pack in well.  Lay three slices of Parma ham, over lapping on your board and then place the chicken breast on the Parma ham and wrap the Parma ham around the chicken placing the seam side face down.  Heat some ooil in hot pan and sear the Parma ham wrapped chicken breast for approx one minute on each side, leave to cool.  Place the chicken on the pastry square and wrap, trim of any excess and do not overlap the pastry, place the pasty seam side down on your baking tray, glaze and bake for approx 30 minutes at 200 degrees, until golden and puffed.

Boil the new potatoes in salted water until soft and tender, drain and toss in butter, and season with salt and black pepper.