Gallic Garlic and Herb Chicken
Michel Roux Junior is justifiably renowned for his contemporary take on classic Gallic cuisine at his world-famous, 2 Michelin starred temple of gastronomy Le Gavroche in Mayfair. He can however turn his hand to altogether less 'cheffy' cooking and it was from him that I gleaned this recipe for a simple mid-week supper.
Ingredients (Serves 2):
2 free range chicken breast fillets
150g pack of Boursin 'Garlic and Herb' Soft Cheese
4 slices of Parma ham or prosciutto di Speck
1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C. (Fan) or 200 degrees C. (Regular).
Place two slices of the ham, overlapping them horizontally, on a kitchen board and then place a chicken fillet on top so it lies lengthways across the ham.
Now cut a slit in the middle of the chicken breast and push about a quarter of the soft cheese inside it. Then wrap the entire fillet tightly in the ham to form a parcel – you can secure this with a wooden cocktail stick if required.
Place the stuffed fillet in a small, lightly-oiled roasting dish and repeat the above.
Cut a lemon into 6 wedges and use this to fill out the roasting dish and support the chicken fillets. Season the dish with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 30 minutes after which time the chicken should be cooked through and oozing molten cheese.
You can serve that with all manner of carbohydrates and green vegetables, but for the purposes of road-testing the recipe I opted for long-grain rice and steamed broccoli.
Wine-wise I think a warming Southern red is probably the best accompaniment at this time of year. This month's IGP Vin de Pays de l'Hérault: Domaine Roquemale 'Meli Melo' 2018 would be ideal.
Santé Chef Michel!
