Rick Steins Chicken Legs Stuffed With Mushrooms And Comté Recipes

RICK STEIN'S CHICKEN LEGS STUFFED WITH MUSHROOMS AND COMTé

Steps:

• Heat 20g of the butter and a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped mushrooms and garlic and fry for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms have given out their liquid and it has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool. Mix the cream cheese, Comté, parsley and thyme in a bowl, then stir in the cooled mushrooms. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place a chicken leg skin-side down. Feel for the thigh bone with your fingers, then with a sharp knife carefully cut down through the flesh either side of the bone. With the tip of the knife, cut around the bone and scrape away the flesh, leaving the bone as clean as possible. Twist the bone at the joint with the drumstick and with scissors or a knife cut out the thigh bone, leaving the drumstick bone in place. Fill the cavity left by the bone with a sixth of the mushroom stuffing. Using a few cocktail sticks, secure the chicken flesh around the stuffing. Brush the skin with the remaining olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the rest of the chicken legs. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C. Brown the chicken legs with the remaining butter in a frying pan, then transfer to a roasting pan and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the cocktail sticks and serve with any juices from the roasting tin. Good with pommes purée with olive oil (page 239 of Rick Stein's Secret France) and spinach.

CHICKEN LEGS STUFFED WITH WILD RICE AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Prepare the chicken legs. Sprinkle them inside and out with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, cook the wild rice and drain.
• Heat the butter in a skillet and add the onions and shallots. Cook, stirring, until they are wilted. Add the mushrooms and cook about one minute, stirring. Add the wild rice, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Cognac and stir. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Stuff each chicken leg with an equal portion of the filling. Carefully fold over the boned thighs to enclose the filling.
• Lay out four squares of plastic wrap, one at a time. Place one stuffed leg in the center and carefully fold the plastic wrap to enclose the stuffed pieces. Wrap securely.
• Place the stuffed chicken legs in one layer in the top rack of a steamer. Set aside. Bring enough water to the boil in the bottom of the steamer to steam the chicken legs when added.
• When ready to cook, place the chicken legs over the steamer and cover closely. Let the legs steam for about 20 minutes or until done. Serve with cream of chicken sauce. One serving suggestion: Spoon a little of the sauce onto a hot plate, top with the stuffed leg and sprinkle with chopped parsley.