Chicken Breast Ballottines

Yesterday I made this stuffed chickcen breast, that is what ballottines means BTW. First off I have been having Brad look through the cookbook to see what he wants, but he didn't want to so I told I would just choose something. After I did that he said that he didn't like chicken that much. So I told him to find something else. So he started looking and complaining about how the book is set up. Julia's cookbook sets it up so that it teaches you while you are cooking and Brad couldn't find the name of the recipes very easily so he decided she was stupid and should of set it up like a normal recipe book but alas this is a cookbook. So we had the chicken...



So first of I learned how to debone a chicken breast. But I think I made the mistake of buying split chicken breasts that were skinless. Evidently I needed the skin. Plus it just didn't seem right when I was rolling the stuffing in. But I made due with what I had to work with. Then I also couldn't find the skewers so I used toothpicks and I couldn't any string and didn't buy any because I thought we had some. So I just held the rolled up chicken together with the toothpicks and that was it. Then the recipe was for 3 whold chicken breasts minus wing. So I bought 6 split breasts so I would have enough for Hayden. Not thinking that I would enough of the stuffing I made a double batch. But 3 whole chicken breast=6 split breasts DUH!!!! Had plenty. Stuffed to much oooooh well. Then to top that off the rating Brad=7-71/2, Kris 5-6, Stevie and Hayden 0

Didn't think that Stevie doesn't like stuffing and Hayden had never had it and didn't like it either. So Brad and I agreed that the chicken was dry, shoulda bought with skin on. We decided that I would make it again and use a whole chicken and just save the other parts for later. We both liked the stuffing part. It could definitely be improved and we would both try it again. Actually pretty good for a first. So here is the recipe.



Stuffing:

1 Sweet Italian Sausage

1 TBSP Butter

1/2 Cup Minced Onion

1 Cup Crumbs from fresh homemade type of bread, Used breadcrumbs for stuffing

1/2 Cup Minced Fresh Parsley

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper



Prick the sausage in several places with a pin, place in a small covered frying pan with 1/4 inch of water, and steam 5 minutes. Drain. Peel off the skin, chop the sausage, and saute several minutes in the tablespoon of butter to brown lightly. Scoop into a mixing bowl, leaving the fat in the pan. In it saute the onion slowly for 6 to 8 minutes. When tender, add to sausage. Blend in the remaining ingredients and season carefully to taste.



Chicken Breast Ballottines

3 Whole chicken breasts, minus wings
1 to 2 TBSP Melted butter

Equipment:
3-inch steel turkey skewers, white string

Preparing the breasts. The whole wingless breast and the boned whole breast are illustrated, step 1. Aim to keep the skin intact during the following operations. Scrape flesh from the bone on one side of the breast, going up to but not over the ridge of the breast bone. Repeat on the other side. Then lift up the carcass and scrape close against the ridge of the breastbone to release the carcass. You now have the two breast halves attackend to the skin.

Stuffing and trussing. Step 2, spead out skin side down, with 3 to 4 tablespoons of stuffing placed down the center. Skewer it closed, winding cotton string around skewers.

Baking and serving--about 1 hour at 350.