Chicken roulade with gizzard stuffing

“One of my favourite things growing up was when you’d buy a whole chicken and find a small bag of innards inside the carcass. We would fry them with a little salt to enjoy in the morning. This recipe reminds me of those days.” – Mmabatho Molefe

1. Debone the chicken, making sure you are not tearing the skin as this will help hold the roulade together. Once the chicken is deboned, cut it in half and flatten using a meat tenderiser so that it is easy to roll. Place the meat between sheets of parchment paper, with the skin side facing down to ensure that you don’t tear it. Remember we are just trying to flatten the chicken and not tenderise it, so be gentle!

2. Once flat, dry with kitchen paper and season both sides of the chicken. Salting the skin will make it crispy.

3. To make the stuffing, heat the oil in a pan and brown the gizzards until evenly cooked on the outside, but do not cook fully. Deglaze the pan with the red wine vinegar. Remove the gizzards from the pan. Using the same pan, slowly cook the onion and garlic until the onion is caramelised but not crispy.

4. Using a food processor, blend the gizzards until smooth (they will be slightly crumbly). Once blended, add the onions, sage and thyme.

5. To stuff the chicken, place a sheet of clingwrap on your work surface. Place half the chicken on top of the clingwrap, then place half the stuffing in the middle and gently roll up the chicken. Secure with butcher’s string. Repeat with the other half of the chicken.

6. Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a hot pan, add oil and sear the chicken roulade until golden brown. Finish off in the oven for 15–20 minutes.

Find more chicken recipes here.

Production: Khanya Mzongwana
Photograph: Jan Ras