Stuffed Chicken Leg...Gordon Ramsay

Stuffed chicken leg....Gordon Ramsay. I recently came across this recipe by the famous Gordon Ramsay. Thinking that he has a restaurant in London that has achieved 3 Michelin stars, I ventured out to try it....it had to be good! Albeit, I did change it up a bit again. I did it on the spur of the moment and did not have all the ingredients he used. So I improvised ... But, I liked it a lot even the way I did it.

It does really make an elegant presentation...and who would have thought that a plain old chicken leg would turn into something fabulous! I will show you how I did mine, but feel free to do his version...I am sure it tastes much better with the bacon! Hope you enjoy...

Note: There is a pretty cool video that shows you how to do it. Here is the link to see it done step-by-step by Gordon Ramsay... Stuffed Chicken Leg

For my recipe you will need:

• 2 chicken legs (thigh and leg attached)
• 2 handfuls of ground pork (I used chicken)
• 1 handful of pistachio nuts(I used pecans)
• Chopped parsley (I used fresh cilantro/ dried dill)
• 1/4 cup bacon bits
• 1/4 dried onion flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil

Directions:
1. First de-bone chicken leg making sure you leave the skin intact and the meat without tearing or cutting into it. You want to have a whole piece. Season well with salt and pepper.

2. In a separate bowl, add ground meat with, herbs, nuts, bacon bits, and onion flakes. Add salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.

3. Take a handful of mixed ground meat and place in the center of the chicken leg. Roll to encase the ground filling.

4. On an aluminum sheet, sprinkle a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper. Add rolled up chicken and roll with the aluminum sheet...making sure it is tight. Set aside.

5. In a large pot bring to a boil 4 quarts of water lower heat to simmer and place chicken rolls in the water to poach for 25-30 minutes.

6. Take chicken rolls out of the water and place in the refrigerator to cool for 20 -30 minutes. Remove from fridge and peel away the aluminum sheets. You should have a neatly rolled up chicken leg without falling apart.

7. Heat a skillet on medium heat, drizzle some olive oil and brown chicken on all sides, turning every so often.

8. Preheat your oven to 400 deg,

9. Place chicken in oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes (depending how long you browned them on top of the stove). This was my version....I noticed that when I placed it in the toaster oven it crisped up the skin even more and it ensured that the chicken was cooked thoroughly.

10. Remove from oven and let rest. In the frying pan, there will be some browned bits called the"fond"(if using a non-stick you won't get too many browned bits)... you may want to make a sauce with it. Using some wine and chicken stock to deglaze. Reduce the sauce.

11. Cut chicken at a bias and pour some sauce over it and enjoy with some good old fashioned mashed potatoes!