Galantine for gallant guests

I’m talking, of course, about baked chicken. A crowning, sure-fire dish for any – even beginner – housewife. And at the same time – banal and boring.

It is true, it is possible to find a compromise: to serve your favorite baked chicken and surprise your guests – make galantine. Our galantine, however, is far from the classic one, which was boiled or steamed, put under the press and poured with jelly. It’s easier and tastier in the oven.

Baked Galantine

Remove the whole chicken skin – it must be stuffed. There are two ways to accomplish this difficult task. The first is to cut off the legs and wings, and sew up the holes with threads. The second is to leave both shanks and wings in place. You can skin in any direction – from the neck and downwards, the cut should be made in the middle of the breast to the neck or along the back. In essence, it’s like turning the chicken inside out.

Separate the chicken meat from the bones and mince with 200 grams of pork, beat the resulting mince with 4 tablespoons of cream and 1 egg, add salt and pepper. Make an omelette of 2 eggs, cut into thin slices 5-6 mushrooms and 2 cloves of garlic. Stuff the chicken skin with the meat mixture, which is layered with rows of slices of scrambled eggs, mushrooms and garlic.

Stitch and tighten the holes with stern threads, place the stuffed chicken with the seam side down in a baking pan or casserole dish greased with butter, salt and pepper it more on top, smear mayonnaise or sour cream and bake in the oven for about 1 hour at 200-220 degrees. When serving take the string out of the chicken and cut it in thin slices slightly askew to make the layers of mushrooms and omelette visible.

Grandma’s secrets: minced meat can be glazed with other ingredients: e.g. pickles, olives, diced carrots, slices of lard or bacon, bits of cheese. And to keep the chicken wings from burning while baking, wet paper cones can be placed on them near the end of the process.