Chicken ballotine

Dr. Brandon Horvath

University of Tennessee

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, deboned
• Favorite seasoning rub (I use a customized version of the Meat Church rubs)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Butcher’s twine
• 1 pound Italian sausage (pick your heat)
• 4 large handfuls of spinach
• 3/4 cup low moisture mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Debone whole chicken using Jacque Pepin’s technique
• Pour 1/2 olive oil over skin side of chicken and sprinkle seasoning rub onto skin.
• Pour remaining olive oil over meat and sprinkle with seasoning rub.
• Place chicken in refrigerator while you prepare stuffing.
• Brown Italian sausage over medium heat until it’s nearly cooked through.
• On top of the simmering sausage, place 4 to 5 large handfuls of fresh spinach and stir, allowing them to wilt and soak up rendered pork fat from the sausage.
• Remove chicken from refrigerator, and with the legs away from you, open chicken up so meat is exposed and facing up.
• Spoon completed stuffing onto the chicken, taking care to drain using a slotted spoon or similar.
• Spread stuffing out over chicken, pushing some into the cavity of the legs, and leaving about a 1-inch border free of stuffing around the outside of the chicken.
• Carefully fold chicken over so as to roll stuffing inside, and push together so it resembles a normal whole bone-in chicken. Carefully roll over, so open seam is now on the bottom. Reach hands under and make sure seam has remained closed.
• Using butcher’s twine, tie a slip knot onto one of the ankle joints at the bottom of the leg. Pull out a length of twine, and make series of underhand loops, sliding each under the chicken and pulling tight, but leaving some room for chicken to expand. After 4 to 5 loops, run twine down the centerline of the chicken underneath, drawing it tight and tying it to the remainder of the twine on the ankle joint. Trim ends.
• Place chicken in a smoker/pellet grill on high smoke (225) for 30 to 45 minutes, then turn heat up to 400 until center reads 165 using a meat thermometer.
• Remove chicken and rest for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove twine, cut chicken into ¾- to 1-inch slices and serve.