18 Nduja stuffed chicken with Woodalls pancetta and fennel roasted new potatoes Paul Robinson

‘Nduja-stuffed chicken with Woodall’s pancetta and fennel-roasted new potatoes

4 people

Ingredients

for the chicken

4 x 170g skinless chicken breasts

120g smoked cheddar cheese, cut into 4 rectangular pieces

120g of ‘nduja

sea salt & black pepper

1 tsp dried chives

3 packs Woodall’s smoked pancetta

for the potatoes

600g Charlotte potatoes

1 bulb of fennel, thick sliced

6 cloves garlic, skin-on

8 sprigs of fresh thyme

5 sprigs of fresh rosemary

80ml extra virgin olive oil

sea salt & black pepper

for the salsa verde

1 bunch parsley, stalks included

1 bunch basil, stalks included

2 lemons, juiced

1 clove garlic, peeled

½ red chilli, seeds and stalk removed

4 anchovy fillets

sea salt & black pepper

to serve

2 red chillies, finely sliced

1 small bunch of fresh chives,

cut into 6cm batons

Method

To prepare the chicken, cut an incision on the bottom side of each chicken breast; don’t cut all the way through. Stuff the breast with a rectangle of smoked cheese and a roughly equal quantity of ‘nduja. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper and sprinkle with some dried chives. Close the chicken breasts and place the open side face down onto a tray.

Lay out 6 slices of pancetta on greaseproof paper with a gap of 10mm between each rasher. Weave another 6 rashers through them to create a lattice square. Repeat the process 3 more times so you have 4 woven lattice squares.

Place the chicken breasts on top of the pancetta mats and with the aid of the baking paper fold the pancetta around the breast to form an oval-shaped parcel. Remove from the baking paper and place on a baking
tray with the join of the pancetta on the bottom.

To make the potatoes, pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Slice the Charlotte potatoes in half (try to get them evenly-sized) and place in a baking tray. Add the sliced fennel and mix with the potatoes. Mix in the skin-on garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs, olive oil and season with a large pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper and place in the pre-heated oven for 45 minutes, turning occasionally.

To cook the chicken, pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the core temperature has reached 75°C measured on a meat thermometer. Remove from the oven and allow to rest on a warm plate. Slice the chicken and spoon on the juices that have formed while cooking.

For the salsa verde dressing, place all the ingredients in a food blender, season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper and blend to a smooth sauce.

To serve, slice the chicken in 2cm thick slices and serve on a plate with the fennel-roasted new potatoes and a generous spoonful of salsa verde. Scatter with sliced chillies and garnish with chives.