NEW YEAR’S EVE CHICKEN WELLINGTON
SERVES 6
Beef Wellington is more famous, but we aren’t sure why – chicken Wellington is far easier to make and far less likely to overcook, while still looking fabulous. Making a good duxelles means chopping the mushrooms and shallots very finely – it’s easiest to do this with the chopper attachment in a food processor. Chilling the Wellington mid-way through making is important because it helps to firm up the chicken once wrapped in the ham; without chilling, it can lose its shape while cooking, resulting in a rather flat Wellington.
● 900g skinless and boneless free-range chicken breast fillets
● 500g puff pastry or two sheets of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
● Flavourless oil, for frying
● 120g prosciutto, Serrano or Parma ham, in long slices (long enough to wrap around and enclose the chicken)
● 1 egg, beaten
● Salt
● Freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE DUXELLES
● 75g salted butter
● 100g shallots, very finely minced
● 240g chestnut mushrooms, very finely minced
● 2 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste
● 1 tbsp thyme leaves
● 2 tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1. For the duxelles, melt the butter in a frying pan set over a medium heat and then add the shallots. Cook gently
