Highland Chicken Recipes

HIGHLAND CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a shallow pan combine the following ingredients to make the marinade: sherry, garlic, oil, salt, pepper and thyme.
• Add the chicken to the marinade, cover and refridgerate for 30 minutes or more.
• When chicken has marinated for at least 30 minutes, melt butter in a frying pan over medium high heat.
• Quickly brown the chicken breasts, then lower the heat, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
• Transfer chicken to plates.
• Add water to pan to deglaze it.
• Add remaining marinade to pan, bring to a boil (important for food safety since this marinated raw chicken) and simmer until reduced by half (at least 5 minutes).
• Add cream or low-fat milk and water alternative and heat through.
• Pour sauce over chicken.
• Serve with noodles or rice and roasted seasonal vegetables for a wonderful meal.

BALMORAL CHICKEN RECIPE: CHICKEN STUFFED WITH HAGGIS

Steps:

• Turn the oven on to 200C (400F)
• Cook the haggis as directed on the packaging. You'll find that most haggis comes in a log form. It can be baked in the oven in its casing, or opened and sliced to cook in the microwave. We find it easiest to buy a small haggis and then open it and cook how much we needed in the microwave, leaving the rest for another meal or freezing it. Set it aside to cool.
• Take the chicken breasts and make a slit in the side at the largest point to form a pocket. About 1-1.5cm should remain unsliced on the opposite side.
• Take the cooked haggis and stuff into each chicken breast. You don't want them to be too full, as the chicken should basically seal back around the haggis to form a circle of chicken with the haggis at the centre.
• Lay the bacon out and then place the chicken breast on one end, rolling it to cover the centre and seal the slit. Ideally, the ends of the bacon will be on the underside of the chicken. If you really need to you can secure it with a toothpick but it should stick fairly well to the chicken itself.
• Fry the wrapped chicken breasts so that the bacon browns a little and starts to crisp.
• Put them into a pan or on a baking tray and bake in the oven for around 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. The juices should run clear when you insert a sharp knife.
• Meanwhile, cook any accompanying vegetables and the whisky sauce (check out our recipe here).
• To serve, slice the chicken breast in half so you can see the haggis inside, place on the plate with the vegetables and liberally pour over whisky sauce!

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CHICKEN WITH WHISKY AND CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub all over with salt, pepper and half the olive oil.
• Combine the remaining oil and butter in a lidded roasting pan and place over medium heat.
• When butter is foaming, place the chicken, breast side down, in the pan and brown for about 4-5 minutes, then turn and brown on the other side for the same length of time. Drain off most of the fat.
• Return the pan with the chicken to the heat and, working quickly, pour the whiskey over it and then set alight. Let the flame die down and then add the broth.
• Cover the chicken with the roasting pan lid (or tuck foil all the way around) and transfer to the oven to bake for about 45-50 minutes.
• When the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a cutting board to rest.
• Drain off some of the accumulated fat and then set the pan on a medium high heat.
• Add a spoonful of water to loosen bits clinging to the bottom of the pan, and then add the cream, stirring as you do so.
• Bring to a boil and let cook for about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the parsley to the sauce and keep warm.
• Section the chicken and serve the sauce at table with the chicken. Serves 4-6.
• Speyside Whisky Festival: Held each year at the beginning of May, the Speyside Whisky Festival provides opportunities to tour some of Scotland's most esteemed distilleries, meet the experts in the whisky industry and, the best part, taste some stellar malts. There is great fun to be had during the evenings, fueled by malt and music and the company of fellow whisky lovers from around Scotland and the world. Visit http://www.spiritofspeyside.com for more information.
• NOTE: The Famous Grouse blended whisky, which, by the way, includes these three whiskies in the blend: Glenrothes (for fragrance), Highland Park (for a light smokiness) and Macallan (for unmistakable richness and backbone).
• New Celtic Cooking.

SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Remove the crusts from the bread and place the bread in small saucepan.
• Cover with the milk and bring to a boil.
• Set aside and allow to cool a bit.
• Pound the minced chicken, almonds and hard-boiled yolks in a mortar until smooth, and then place in a large bowl.
• Gradually beat in the bread and milk.
• Stir in the stock, and then pass through a sieve into a saucepan.
• Bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper, add the nutmeg and lemon juice and simmer for 10 minutes; remove from the heat.
• Beat the egg yolks with the cream and blend in 3 tablespoonfuls of the hot soup.
• Stir the mixture into the soup and heat gently for 2 or 3 minutes.
• DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.
• When it thickens, serve with the diced chicken as a garnish.