Herbed Chicken with Apricots and Pecan Potato Baskets

This is an attractive way to serve a main course. You can also fill the potato baskets with any other filling you like either together with this dish or as a completely separate one. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients, it really isn't that time consuming

Keith Vigon @cook_4574654

United Kingdom

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Ingredients

90 mins

8 servings

8chicken breast fillets
2 tablespoonsbutter
6mushrooms chopped
1 tablespoonchopped pecan nuts
1/2 cupchopped cooked ham
50 gwholemeal breadcrumbs
1 tablespoonchopped parsley plus extra for garnish
to tastesalt and pepper
cocktail sticks to secure rolls
Sauce
2 tablespoonscornflour
120 mLwhite wine
50 gbutter
50 gapricots chutney
Potato Baskets
4large baking potatoes
170 gsausage meat
225 gcan of apricots in natural juice drained and quartered
1/4 teaspooncinnamon
1/2 teaspoongrated orange peel
2 tablespoonsmaple syrup
2 tablespoonsbutter
35 gchopped pecan nuts, plus some extra halves to garnish

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Steps

90 mins

1

Put the chicken breast between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper and flatten with a rolling pin or mallet
2

Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the mushrooms, pecans and ham.
3

Stir in the breadcrumbs and parsley then season to taste.
4

Divide this mixture between the chicken breasts and roll up then secure each one with a cocktail stick
5

Refrigerate while making the sauce
6

Put the potatoes in the oven to bake at 160°C whilst you would prepare the sauce.
7

Mix the cornflour with a little of the wine to make a smooth paste stop put the remaining wine in a pan and add the just prepared paste.
8

Simmer until smooth then add the butter and apricot chutney and cook for about 5 minutes stirring constantly
9

Place the chicken breasts in a shallow ovenproof dish and pour the sauce over them. Bake in the oven without adjusting the temperature for about 20 minutes basting several times
10

When the potatoes are cooked through, cut them in half and and scoop out the inside, leaving a reasonable layer within the shell.
11

Mash the potatoes and place in a mixing bowl
12

Fry the sausage meat and remove some of the fat that floats to the top.
13

Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 1 minute.
14

Add the sausage meat mixture to the potato and blend gently
15

Fill the potato shells. Sprinkle the pecan halves over the top and put in the oven with the chicken and bake for another 30 minutes
16

Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and then drain the sauce into a separate container.
17

Slice the breasts and put onto in individual plates and pour the sauce over the top.
18

Serve with the potato baskets and garnish with parsley leaves