Hello my friends! I had the recent pleasure of being invited to a dinner party at the house of chef Joanne Weir, cooking instructor, author, and television cooking show host. Sadly, I couldn’t attend then, BUT I am thrilled to share with you a recipe from her new book, Kitchen Gypsy, one for chicken legs stuffed with blue cheese and walnuts! PLUS, I am giving away one copy of the book to a lucky MCM fan—just follow this link to enter the giveaway!
Joanne’s book is full of anecdotes about Joanne’s life, from her childhood through today. I loved seeing how closely entwined food, life, work, and play all are in Joanne’s life, not to mention the tasty recipes.
Nearly all of my Friday afternoon was devoted to preparing this elegant main dish. I followed the recipe pretty closely, but modified a few things based on what was available to me. Luckily, I invited a few dinner guests over to enjoy the result! The chicken was so flavorful and so satisfying. Now my mom wants me to make it at Thanksgiving so she and the rest of my family can taste it! You can taste it too, by following the recipe below.
Chicken Legs Stuffed With Blue Cheese & Walnuts
Serves 6
- 6 large whole chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 ounces button mushrooms, stem ends trimmed and coarsely chopped
- ¾ cup fresh bread crumbs
- 2 large egg yolks, whisked
- ¼ cup crumbled bleu de Bresse or Stilton cheese
- 1 tablespoon walnut oil
- 3 ounces thick-sliced bacon, cut crosswise into ⅓-inch-wide pieces
- 12 shallots, peeled and left whole
- ¼ cup Sauvignon Blanc, or other dry white wine
- ½ cup rich veal stock or low-sodium beef or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Process
- First, bone the chicken legs, keeping the skin intact; lay each leg, skin side dow, on a work surface and, with a sharp knife, make shallow slices on top of the leg and thigh bone to expose the bones. Next, cut down along either side of each bone to expose It completely, then slide the knife under the bones to free them from the flesh. Finally, trim away any strips of white cartilage from the flesh. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Set the chicken aside.
- In a small frying pan over medium heat, toast the nuts, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Pour onto a cutting board, let cool, and chop. Set aside.
- In a large ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their moisture and then the moisture evaporates, 8-10 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and let cool completely. Set the pan aside.
- Add the bread crumbs, egg yolks, cheese, and walnuts to the cooled mushrooms, mix well, and season with salt and pepper.
- Lay the boned legs, flesh side up, on a work surface. Divide the mushroom mixture evenly among the legs, spooning it into the center, then wrap each leg around the stuffing. Using a needle and fine kitchen string or coarse thread, loosely sew each leg closed, giving it the shape of a small ham.
- Preheat the oven to 375° Wipe out the frying pan, place over medium-high heat, and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken legs and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the chicken legs to a plate. Pour off and discard the excess oil.
- Add the bacon and shallots to the same pan and cook until the bacon is golden, 2-3 minutes. Return the chicken, skin side up, to the pan and roast in the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh registers 165°F, about 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to warmed individual plates, tent with foil, and drain off any excess oil from the pan.
- Add the wine to the pan and simmer over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add the stock and cream and simmer gently until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, 1-2 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, dividing the shallots and bacon evenly. Garnish with the parsley.
Don’t forget to enter the cookbook giveaway! Happy cooking! This time next week, M. Cheesemonger and I will be on our way to France! I’m so excited! You can join in on the travels with my Instagram feeds (@misscheesemonger for food, @verokherian for everything else!)!
The cookbook I used for reference in this article, and the giveaway cookbook, are provided by Dadascope, the PR team behind Kitchen Gypsy.
