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Poularde de Noel (Capon stuffed with chestnuts and truffles)

Ingredients

  • 2 shallots
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ¼ pound sausage meat
  • ¼ pound small sausages (see note)
  • ¼ pound bread crumbs, soaked in milk to cover for 10 minutes
  • ¼ cup Cognac
  • 2 fresh mushroom caps, sliced
  • 1 large black truffle (see note)
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon thyme
  • 1 pound chestnuts (see note)
  • 1 three-pound chicken
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 sprigs parsley
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup Port
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

      1391 calories; 71 grams fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 28 grams monounsaturated fat; 14 grams polyunsaturated fat; 86 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 80 grams protein; 304 milligrams cholesterol; 975 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

Four servings

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Chop the shallots and cook them for a few minutes in the butter. Add the sausage meat and sausages and cook, stirring with a fork, until the meat is lightly browned.
  3. Add the bread crumbs, soaked in milk and well drained, the Cognac, the mushrooms and the truffle, cut into small sticks. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the thyme and set aside.
  4. Peel and cook the chestnuts and cool them. Break into pieces, reserving about eight whole ones. Add the pieces to the stuffing mixture. Blend well. Add the remaining whole chestnuts.
  5. Fill the chicken cavity with the stuffing and close the opening by sewing with kitchen thread. Rub the chicken with salt and pepper and roast for about one and one-half hour.
  6. After half an hour add the carrot, onion, celery, thyme, bay leaf and parsley to the pan in which the chicken is cooking.
  7. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Keep it warm, covered with aluminum foil.
  8. Skim the fat and vegetables from the pan. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a slow boil. Reduce, add Port, correct seasonings and drain in a sieve. Pour the sauce over the chicken.
  • This dish has more truffle aroma if slices of truffle are put under the skin of the chicken the night before. In this recipe, Mrs. Masson uses Jones-brand sausages. Chestnuts are peeled by first being dropped into boiling water for a couple of minutes and their skins slipped off carefully while the chestnuts are still hot.

About 2 hours 30 minutes

Dining and Cooking