Food with Passion: Stuffed Chicken Parcels Spicy Peas & Honey Glazed Carrot
John Paul Kennedy is a self-taught cook and an avid fan of collecting cookery books with a passion for good old-fashioned home cooking.
His passion for proper family cooking stems from his TWO Grandmothers, who were both excellent cooks, one of whom was a trained chef.
JP promises to bring us plenty of family-inspired recipes and tasty treats while showing us how to get the basics right.
This twist on a roast chicken dinner is a much easier and less time-consuming way to pull together a delicious roast. Using skin on chicken breast fillets, I cut a slit in each one, stuff it with my Nanny Rena’s homemade stuffing and wrapped in delicious thin slices of pancetta.
Even better I add the carrots to the roasting dish and drizzle with honey and fresh thyme to cook alongside the chicken parcels.
I like to serve this with creamy mash potato and chicken gravy, and you have a delicious roast dinner made in a fraction of the time and with much less washing up!
You can get ahead and prepare the chicken the night before and leave covered in foil in the fridge overnight.
If doing this, make sure to take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before roasting to come to room temperature. Cold meat should never be placed in a hot oven!
Ingredients: (serves 3-4 people)
- 3-4 Skin-on chicken breast fillets
- 100g home made/ your favourite stuffing.
- 9-12 slices of thin Italian Pancetta
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Drizzle of rapeseed oil
- Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
- 3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (One carrot person should suffice)
- Tablespoon of runny honey
- 300g frozen garden peas
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 red chilli finely chopped.
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 190 degrees. Prepare the chicken by making a slit in the side and stuff each breast.
- Lay down 3 slices per breast of streaky bacon directly beside each other, place the chicken breast at the end and wrap the bacon over the chicken tucking in the overhang.
- Place into a roasting tray, adorn with two sprigs of fresh thyme. If adding roast veg (Like carrots, sprouts or parsnips, scatter around the chicken breasts, then drizzle with honey and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper and place into the oven and roast for 45 minutes until crisp and golden. Make the peas while the chicken is roasting. Add everything into a pot with a knob of butter and drizzle of olive oil and cook gently until the shallot has softened – takes about 15-20 minutes on a medium heat.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing each breast in half and placing on top of the mash, scattering the roasted veg and spicy peas around and pour over the chicken gravy.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
And there you have it, a delightful recipe for Stuffed Chicken Parcels with smoked bacon.
This dish is the epitome of homely, earthy food that is good for the soul.
It is quick and easy to make, yet incredibly delicious to eat. Perfect for those cozy evenings when you crave something comforting and satisfying.
I hope you enjoy this recipe with your family and friends.
Enjoy every bite of this soul-warming meal!
