Olive stuffed Chicken

Culinary experimentation is probably what drives me into the kitchen... though cannot practice it everyday. But time and again, these wierd thoughts do enter my mind to try out different things and some turn out good, some not do good. The key to it is to basically enjoy yourself and not get too critical about your creation. If you can dream it, you can do it.
Sometime back, I dreamt of trying out a olive stuffed chicken tikka. I still haven't got down to doing that, but I did something very similar. It came out good ( I liked the taste, and my wife the presentation). I'm posting it and will shortly get around to doing the tikkas too. Till then, try this one out, if you want to do something different.
Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts
4 Tomatoes
12 Olives
4 Button Mushrooms
3 Tblsp Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Tsp Oregano
4 Tsp Soy Sauce
4 Tblsp Chilli Paste
3 Onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic chopped finely
2 Tsp crushed peppercorns
1 Tsp minced ginger
Salt - To Taste
For Stock:
1 Tblsp Oil
1 Carrot, roughly chopped
1 Bay leaf
1 Star Anise
2 Cloves
6 Peppercorns
4 Cups water

Method: Pre-Preparation:
1. Debone the chicken breasts. Keep the bones for the stock.
2. Make a concasse out of the tomatoes.
3. With the bones and the stock ingredients, make a chicken stock. Strain and keep.
4. Mince the mushrooms. Keep aside.

Preparation:
1. Make the Sauce for stuffing by heating the pan and adding the concassed tomatoes, chilli paste, mushroom mince, crushed peppercorns, oregano and cheese.
2. Slice the chicken breast halfway, so that it opens up into one large piece.
3. Flatten it more with a mallet, taking care that it doesn't break up.
4. Apply a spoonful of the sauce on the skin.

5. Layer the olives, and roll it up to form a kind of a swiss roll.
6. Tie it with a twine so that it doesnt open up. Further cover it with some clingwrap to seal it.
7. Keep it into the fridge for an hour.
8. Grease a baking pan. Fill it with some chopped garlic, onion and strained stock.
9. Take the rolled chicken breast out of the fridge. Take out the clingwrap and put it into the baking pan.
10. Bake till chicken is done. Take it out and cut the chicken into slices breadthwise.
11. Don't throw the pan juices and stock away.
12. Heat the leftover sauce. Add in the pan juices and stock. Add in the Soy Sauce and ginger. Bring to a boil.
13. Serve the chicken slices with Risotto or pasta or plain buttered rice with the sauce.

Note:
1. To make Stock: Heat oil in a crockpot, add in the spices and roughly chopped carrot. Stir for half a minute. Add in the trimmings and bones. Saute for a minute. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain.
2. An easy way out of the sauce is to substitute the concasse tomatoes and stuff with Ragu/Prego.

Posted in: Chicken,Chicken recipe,Fusion Cuisine