A really nice chicken dish that goes down well on special occasions. You can usually buy flattened breasts in your supermarket, or get your butcher to do it for you. For a special treat, why not use sun-blushed tomatoes in the sauce, in place of fresh tomatoes.
Serves 4
4 flattened boneless chicken breasts, including fillets
125g (4½oz) full fat cream cheese
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp snipped fresh chives
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
120ml (4fl oz) white wine
50g (2oz) butter, at room temperature
½ tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 medium tomato, skinned, seeded and diced, or 5–6 sun-blush tomatoes, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
snipped fresh chives, to garnish
Step one Lay the chicken on a flat surface without the fillet (the extra flap of meat attached to the breast). Beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the garlic, chilli, chives and a touch of seasoning. Spread over the breasts, leaving the edges clear. Lay the flattened fillet on top, then roll up, starting with the pointed end and turning the edges in so the filling is sealed in when cooking.
Step two Cut four pieces of foil about 15cm (6in) square. Brush with a little oil on the shiny side. Put one chicken ‘sausage’ on each sheet and roll the foil up tightly, twisting the ends firmly to form a tight cylinder. Place in a pan with enough boiling water to cover the sausages and poach for 15–20 minutes until cooked through. If you insert a skewer into the centre of a sausage, the skewer should be hot to touch when it is withdrawn. Switch off the heat and leave the sausages in the water while you make the sauce.
Step three Put the shallots into a pan with the white wine. Bring to the boil and reduce by three-quarters to leave a syrupy glaze. Whisk in the butter off the heat to make a creamy consistency. Add the tomato purée, basil and diced tomato or sun-blush tomatoes, and season to taste.
Step four Unwrap and discard the foil from the chicken and make one cut at an angle in each sausage. Spoon a little sauce onto the centre of each plate and lay the chicken pieces on top, slightly overlapping each other. Spoon over the remaining sauce and sprinkle with chives.