Chicken Roulade, Like a Piece of Art, is Easy But Looks Difficult

I had first seen my teacher, Chef Iyer prepare a similar dish in catering school. Chef Iyer can simplify any recipe in the world. On this occasion, he was preparing Chicken galantine for which he had deboned an entire chicken without separating a single piece. It was like a magic trick one minute there was a whole chicken with legs and wings and the next minute they were gone! There was just a large, juicy boneless piece, ready to be stuffed and rolled. Instead of the wand we will use a knife and instead of the whole chicken we will be using the breast. I like the simple life and I like to be proud of my work. De-boning an entire chicken? I will choose another day to laugh at myself, on a day when I am missing a challenge, a hilarious disaster.

Supreme is a thin, delicate strip of flesh attached to the underside on the chicken breast. It is what we use to make chicken satay. In this recipe this delicate, inner-side of the chicken breast is removed before proceeding, to help flatten the chicken properly.

Chicken Roulade  - Serves 2

Ingredients

Chicken Breast (Boneless)      2

Salt    to taste

Pepper   to taste

Red Bell Pepper    1, cut into long, thin strips (or Julienne)

Garlic     5 cloves

Processed Cheese (Preferably Mozzarella), grated     ½ cup

String/ Thread      1 metre

Aluminium Foil      to wrap the roulades

Butter                     3 tablespoon

Lemon, Juice          1

Coriander Leaves, Chopped   3 tablespoons

Method:

Remove the supreme from the chicken breast. Add about an inch high water in a pan and allow it to simmer. Add in the chicken supreme and cook it for 2 to three minutes. Once the chicken is cooked, grind it into a fine paste with a little salt and cloves of garlic.

Slit each of the chicken breasts sideways, cutting through the thickness of the breast and open it up like a butterfly from the centre. Now use the back side of a round spoon and flatten the cut up, opened butterfly breast piece and flatten it evenly. Make sure that you don’t make it too thin, so that it does not tear.

Rub in the salt and pepper. Line the strips of red bell pepper along the length of the flattened chicken breast, apply the chicken and garlic paste, make sure to leave a margin along the sides. Now, place the grated cheese along the length of the breast piece, parallel to the red bell pepper, in one long, thick straight line.

Tuck in the flattened piece along the side margin by folding it inside and begin rolling from one end, parallel to the cheese and red pepper strips and roll the flattened piece completely, like a swiss roll.

Once both the pieces are stuffed and rolled, secure the roulade with the help of a string. Tie one end to form a loop, insert the head of the roulade into the loop, tighten it, then  at a half inch distance, make another loop and insert the roulade securing it further, tighten it. Keep making loops at half inch differences until the entire roulade is secure. Then wrap the string along the length of the roulade and tie a knot on one end.

NOTE:  You can also secure it by simply wrapping the thread around the roulade, along the length OR skip the step mentioned above and directly wrap the roulade in aluminium foil, secure it by wrapping tightly. Refrigerate it for two hours.

Tightly roll up the roulades in aluminium foil and refrigerate it for thirty to sixty minutes.

To Cook the roulade, take a pan and fill it with water enough to dip the entire roulade in it. Heat this water, once the water begins to simmer, add in the roulade with the foil and let it cook on a low heat. Let it simmer in water for seven to ten minutes. Take the roulades out of the water.

Open the aluminium foil, then cut the string and remove it. Roll the roulade in chopped coriander.

Heat Butter in a pan place the roulades and cook it on one side until it turns a golden brown colour on one side. Squeeze lemon juice on top of the chicken and add some to the butter in the pan.

Remove the roulade and cut it into thick slices, pour the lemon butter from the pan on top of the chicken.

Serve warm or chilled with salad and potatoes.

Variation: Instead of the lemon butter, you can pour warm cream and chilli flakes mixed. Serve this with salad and potatoes or butter rice as main course or serve chilled, on its own with crunchy lettuce as an appetiser or party snack.