Deboned chicken with pork and pistachio stuffing

This recipe appears a lot more difficult than it actually is. It is in fact a very simple Italian dish that is great for either a family dinner at the weekend, or to wow your guests at a dinner party.

It combines the contrasting flavours of chicken with prosciutto and cheese, enhanced by the pork and pistachio stuffing.

The only real technical requirement is to find yourself a butcher – any self-respecting butcher will be able to completely debone a chicken at no extra cost. A large chicken will suffice for 6 people. Once the chicken has been deboned it will allow you to lay it out completely flat and then layer the other ingredients, before rolling up into a log form that’s ready to cook.

Ingredients Method
Ingredients
Deboned chicken with pork and pistachio stuffing
1
large chicken
8
slices of prosciutto
6
slices of fontina cheese
200
grams
pork mince
2
sprigs of rosemary
Handful of pistachio nuts
100
millilitres
dry white wine
Method
1.Lay the chicken out flat on a large chopping board.
2.Layer the prosciutto evenly over the chicken.
3.To form the stuffing – mix the pork mince, chopped pistachios and the chopped herbs together with salt and pepper in a mixing bowl until all ingredients are mixed through.
4.Spread the stuffing mix thinly over the prosciutto.
5.Layer the sliced cheese over the stuffing mix.
6.Roll the chicken up tightly making sure that nothing escapes out the ends.
7.Keeping the meat tightly rolled, wrap it firmly in some grease proof paper making sure that the ends are not left exposed by folding in the paper as if wrapping a present.
8.Place in an oven proof dish uncovered.
9.Heat in a preheated oven at 160 °C (320 °F) for an hour.
10.Remove from the oven and poor 100 millilitres (3.4 US fluid ounces) of dry white wine over the chicken still in the paper and allow to rest for 10–15 minutes.
11.When ready to serve unwrap from the paper. The juices that are released will mix with the wine at the bottom of the dish which is then used as a sauce.
12.Transfer to a shallow dish and carve in slices from one end.
Serve with steamed green vegetables such as asparagus and broccoli.