Truffled Chicken Ballottines
Truffled Chicken Ballottines
Plantin Kaviari
4
1 hours
35 minutes
French
Main Course
Intermediate
Overnight
These truffled chicken ballotines are filled with mushrooms, ricotta and Black Winter Truffle, then gently steamed until tender. The remaining mushroom filling is blended into a creamy sauce and finished with fine shavings of fresh truffle just before serving.
Ingredients
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 200 g button mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 4 Farmed Chicken Breasts
- 125 g ricotta
- 200 ml crème fraîche
- 50 ml Plantin Black Winter Truffle Juice
- 100 ml whole milk or single cream
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 60 g fresh Black Winter Truffle, finely chopped and divided
- or 60 g Plantin Black Winter Truffle Breakings, drained, as an alternative when fresh truffle is unavailable
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Neutral oil or butter, for greasing the steamer basket, if needed
- 600 g Baby Ratte Potatoes, optional, to serve on the side
Directions
Infuse the ricotta with truffle: The day before serving, mix the crème fraîche, ricotta and half the finely chopped fresh Black Winter Truffle. Cover and refrigerate overnight to infuse. If using Plantin Black Winter Truffle Breakings, drain them first and use half in the same way.
Cook the mushroom filling: Melt the unsalted butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened. Add the chopped button mushrooms and cook until their moisture has evaporated. Season with fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the Plantin Black Winter Truffle Juice, then add the infused ricotta and crème fraîche mixture. Stir until combined, keeping some mushroom texture rather than blending the mixture smooth.
Butterfly and flatten the chicken breasts: Place each chicken breast on a chopping board. With a sharp knife held parallel to the board, carefully slice horizontally through the thickest side, stopping just before cutting all the way through. Open it out like a book. Place the butterflied chicken between baking parchment or cling film, then gently flatten with a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet until evenly thin.
Fill and wrap the chicken ballotines: Lay the chicken cutlets flat and season lightly. Reserve about one-third of the mushroom filling for the sauce. Spoon the remaining filling along one edge of each cutlet, then roll each one tightly lengthways. Wrap each ballotine tightly in food-safe heatproof cling film, twisting and tying both ends securely to form a tight cylinder.
Steam the chicken ballotines: Place the wrapped ballotines in a steamer basket and steam until cooked through. Check that the centre of each ballotine reaches 74°C before removing from the heat. Allow to rest briefly before unwrapping.
Make the mushroom truffle sauce: Transfer the reserved mushroom filling to a small saucepan. Add the whole milk or single cream and blend until smooth. Warm gently over low heat, without boiling, and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Finish and serve: Carefully remove the cling film from the cooked chicken ballotines and slice each one into thick pieces. Spoon over the warm mushroom truffle sauce, then finish with fine shavings of the remaining fresh Black Winter Truffle. Serve immediately.
