A new twist on an old Kerala Classic – Stuffed Chicken Roast

A couple years back I read somewhere that in the northern part of Kerala, particularly among the Muslim community, there is a culinary tradition of roasting a whole goat stuffed with chicken which again is stuffed with boiled eggs. I don’t know whether this is true or not….those who can contribute to the authenticity of this culinary tradition, please drop a line here.

What I know for sure is that throughout Kerala , we roast a whole chicken stuffed with either curried eggs or meat liver and boiled eggs or the humble Puttu mixed with a dash of Kattan kaaapi/Black coffee along with a couple of boiled eggs. These stuffing and the method of cooking differ from region to region. Some roast the whole chicken, some deep fry the chicken dipped in a flour batter and some follow the dum method and some cook the chicken in gravy. The idea of having a roasted whole chicken with stuffing, on the centre of the dining table is quite fascinating, especially if you have a large family or friends and for the same reason, this dish is often prepared as part of some marriage function or festivals.

For me, the thought of all that mess while carving the whole chicken , at the end of which you re left with some funny looking pieces and the knowledge that stuffing will not be available in all the carved pieces of meat and the amount of leftover that will follow, after feeding our two tiny tummies and finally the difficulty of finding a small chicken of 1 kilo in a country where everything is supersized sort of slowed down my plans to roast a whole chicken.

That’s when the moment of brilliance hit me…instead of stuffing a whole chicken, why not stuff a boneless chicken breast!! I remembered a particular show of Tyler Florence demonstrating stuffing the chicken breast and then pan roasting the same. This alternative sounded more feasible to me and I decided to try a particular stuffing recipe I found in Ms. Ummi Abdulla’s Malabar Muslim Cookery book. I followed her stuffing recipe and adapted the recipe for gravy to suit our taste and used a different method of cooking chicken and stirred in a bit of my imagination and voila, I got a gourmet version of an old Kerala classic which was a pure gastronomic pleasure in all its style and elegance. Here’s how I came up with this dish:


Roasted & Stuffed Chicken breasts:

For marinating & pan-frying the chicken breasts:

1. 2 medium size boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2. 1 ¾ tsp chilly powder
3. ¼ tsp coriander powder
4. ¼ tsp turmeric powder
5. ½ tsp fresh ginger paste
6. ½ tsp fresh garlic paste
7. 1 tsp lemon juie
8. 4-6 curry leaves, finely chopped
9. Salt to taste
10. Around ¼ cup oil for pan-frying
11. Kitchen twine
    

For stuffing:
(Recipe Source: Ms. Ummi Abdulla's Malabar Muslim Cookery; slightly tailored to suit our taste)

• 1 hardboiled egg, shells removed, and thinly sliced
• ¼ cup split Bengal gram/kadala parippu/chana dal
• 1 cup water or more to cook split Bengal gram/kadala parippu/chana dal
• 1tsp coriander powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¾ to 1 cup big onion, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp fresh ginger paste
• ½ tsp fresh garlic paste
• 2 Indian green chillies, finely chopped
• 1tbsp cashewnuts, chopped into small pieces
• 2tbsp cilantro/coriander leaves, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp homemade Biryani Masala
• 1/2 to 1 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2tsp ghee/clarified butter

For Masala Roast/Gravy:
(Recipe Source: Ms. Ummi Abdulla's Malabar Muslim Cookery; altered the cooking method to suit our taste)

• 2 cups big onions/thinly sliced
• 4 Indian Green Chillies
• 1tsp fresh ginger paste
• 1tsp garlic paste
• 2tbsp coriander powder
• 1tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1tbsp raisins
• 1tsp powdered fennel seeds/Perinjeerakam
• ¾ cup fresh tomato puree
• 1tsp homemade Biryani Masala
• 2 to 2 ½ tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
• 1tsp Sugar
• 1tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• 2tsp ghee/clarified butter

Directions:

• Butterfly the chicken breast: Place one chicken breast at a time, on a clear plastic wrap, on the cutting board; keep your left hand on top of the chicken breast and with a knife carefully cut lengthwise, from the thickest edge on the right side and moving the knife to the centre; do not cut through fully. Stop before you reach the left edge of the chicken breast and open the breast. This gives you a butterfly shaped chicken breast (which is still connected in the centre) that can be opened like you open a book. Now place another sheet of clear plastic wrap on top of the butterflied chicken breast and start pounding the chicken with gentle yet firm hits, using a meat mallet or rolling pin or a bottom of a small pan, to flatten and reduce the thickness of meat to around ¼ to ½ inch. At the end of this cutting process, you will have a more thin meat piece with more surface area. (Note: For a pictorial explanation, click on this read or this video)
• Marinate: Start by mixing all the ingredients from 2 to 9 and marinate only the smooth side (not the pounded/flattened side) of the chicken breast and leave it on the kitchen counter for 1 hour.
• Prepare the stuffing: Wash and cook split Bengal gram/kadala parippu/chana dal , with coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt, until water it is cooked to soft and water is absorbed (I followed pressure cooking method for this). Heat ghee in a small shallow pan, cook thinly sliced onions till it is transparent. Add green chillies , ginger and garlic paste and stir for a minute. To this add the cooked split Bengal gram/kadala parippu/chana dal, chopped cashew nuts, coriander leaves and sprinkle homemade biryani masala and sugar and stir well. Do a taste test and adjust the salt. Turn off the stove and keep aside.
• Stuff the butterflied chicken breasts: Divide the stuffing into two equal portions. Place half of the stuffing on the pounded side of the chicken breast which is not marinated with spices and herbs. On top of it, layer half of the thinly sliced hardboiled eggs and carefully roll this, securing the stuffing tightly inside and tie the stuffed and rolled chicken breasts with a kitchen twine as in the picture given above. Repeat this process for the second one too.
• Pan-fry the stuffed and rolled chicken breasts: Heat oil in a large shallow pan, and when it is hot, place the stuffed and rolled chicken breast and fry each side for 1 to 1 ½ minute in medium heat and immediately transfer this to the baking dish and cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil to lock in the moisture. At this stage, you should not cook the meat more than the time I have mentioned as you continue to cook for longer time during baking. Pan-frying technique is used mainly to add one more layer of richness as well as to hold its shape.
• Prepare the Masala Roast/Gravy: To the same pan , in which you pan fried the chicken breasts, add ghee to the leftover oil. Add thinly sliced onions and green chillies and cook till the edges begin to turn brown. Add ginger and garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the raisins and stir for few seconds. Sprinkle coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder and blend well with the onion base , until the raw smell goes. Now add the tomato puree, powdered fennel seeds and biryani masala and cook for a minute or two. At this stage, add sugar, lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. Do a taste test and add salt if required. Turn off the stove and pour everything on top of the chicken breast, making sure that the pan fried stuffed and rolled chicken breasts are lying on a bed of the gravy.
• Preheat the oven to 350F. When the oven is heated well, cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Halfway through the baking process, turn the chicken breasts to the other side and pour the gravy on top, else the meat is likely to turn dry. When chicken is cooked, turn off the oven and take out the dish and let it cool on kitchen counter for minimum 30 minutes. Continue to keep it covered with the aluminum foil to maintain the moisture in the meat. (Note: Cooking time varies depending on the oven , the thickness of the meat as well as the extent of cooking done at the pan-frying stage)
• When ready to serve, cut off the kitchen twine and slice the stuffed and roasted chicken into 2" pieces; place 1 or two sliced ones on a bed of roasted masala.
• Serve with Ghee rice/peas Pulao/Jeera rice or any flat breads like Chappathi or Pathiri

Tip: To make fresh tomato puree at home, the easiest method is to grate the tomato using a hand grater or box grater; the puree drips into the bowl and you will be left with the skins. Continue grating until you re left with most of the skin. Tip courtesy: Ms. Madhur Jaffrey.

Verdict: I don't say this very often in my blog especially for dishes I have used my imagination but for this dish, I must say this, "AWESOME" and “ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS". This is easily one of the best chicken dishes I have prepared and recommend for any special occasions where you want to prepare something different from the ordinary, to dazzle your family and guests. The Masala Roast/gravy has a balanced spice and herb mix that exudes a level of strength and richness to complement the mildly flavored lentil and boiled egg stuffing . The occasional bite into raisins along with the spicy masala is a pleasant surprise as in plate of Biryani. If you trust me, take my word, go ahead and give it a try :)

Related Posts:

****************************************************************************************

Well, we all know that a group of nutcases took a boat ride to my country and hoarded 75kg mutton, so they can feed themselves while they kept many innocent people at gunpoint and unleashed terror throughout the city and country. I don’t know if I am angry with crazy guys who kept a city under siege for three days or more frustrated at the ineffectiveness and failure of the intelligence agency and the blame game that followed or plain sad with those who lost their lives, children who are orphaned and spouses who are widowed now……….Though I was anxious about the safety of my cousin and niece and a bunch of friends, I cannot even imagine the trauma these hostages experienced or the pain suffered by many who lost their loved ones…………I wish the political machinery is more responsible to assure atleast reasonable safety to the common man …….my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragedy and salutes to those who fought courageously to save the lives of many..

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.