We have started some work on a variety of chicken dishes. It was much easier to generate the parts than it has been to polish dishes and refine our thoughts. The easiest piece to work with was an old preparation which we used to do in the days before we had a stash of activa. We used to bone chickens and pound the thigh meat to a uniform thickness. We wrapped the pounded thigh around the chicken breast and then used twine, yes twine, to tie the skin around the bundle. If I remember correctly we added some seasoned butter into the chicken parcel and then roasted them in the oven until they were crispy on the outside and buttery and juicy inside.
Let me say that after roasting the parcels, the twine kind of cooks into the chicken skin and is a bit difficult to remove. Hence, our decision to file the dish as one which is good, sometimes great, though with a few drawbacks.
That is the back story. The reason why, as I noted, with the help of activa, I was able to find a rock to stand on. We followed the same basic approach in assembling our new chicken parcel, though here we used activa to bind the parts together. We poached the parcel sous vide and then finished roasting it in the oven. We paired the chicken with some roasted beets, young marjoram and Blis Elixer. The flavors come together. The chicken is quite tasty. I could eat it again and again. Still, I have hesitations. First of all, I have a lot of other parts to work with. Secondly, I know there is something better out there.
Will I find it? Today begins the search.