Burns night is on it’s way and so comes the dry chicken covered in thick bacon with haggis that’s becoming dry as well. So what can we do to improve the traditional chicken balmoral? Well, firstly, chicken thighs will cook better in the oven and keeping skin on will retain moisture. Additionally, using bacon that is cooked separately means you can get it well cooked away from the chicken. All together I think these few tweaks improve this Scottish classic.
Serve: 4
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Difficulty: Take your time
8 Chicken Thighs (skin on)
300g Haggis
8 rashers of Streaky Smoked Bacon
1. Debone the chicken thighs if required.
2. On a chopping board spread the chicken thighs out and cover with cling film or greaseproof paper. Pound with a rolling pin or mallet to help flatten the chicken. Repeat this with the rest of the chicken thighs.
3. Take two chicken thighs and line them up against each other on a chopping board. Crumble 75g of haggis down the middle. Roll the sides of chicken thighs together and place on a skillet or baking tray.
4. With the chicken thighs side by side, pull the skin of one thigh to overlap with the skin on the other thigh. Drizzle with oil.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all the chicken thighs.
5. Place in a 180 degree Celsius (360 degrees Fahrenheit) oven for approximately 45 minutes until the skin is golden brown. After 30-35 minutes add the bacon to the oven depending on thickness.
6. Remove from the oven and place the warm bacon around the chicken (at this point the bacon should be malleable to fold around). Slice in half and serve.
Optional: If you use a skillet you can make a simple whiskey cream sauce by deglazing the skillet with 25-50ml of whiskey and reducing. The add 150ml of single cream mixing till well combined. Loosen with chicken stock as to your preference.
Recipes from my kitchen, Edinburgh, Scotland 