This is Christmas dinner, reimagined. A golden, crispy chicken thigh, encased in spiced sausage meat, paired with a glossy cranberry sauce. Sticky-sweet sprouts and a vibrant red cabbage fried rice, packed with smoky bacon.
Prep: less than 30 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Serves: Serves 4–6
Dietary: Dairy-free
By Ching-He Huang
From Saturday Kitchen Recipes
Original recipe from BBC Saturday Kitchen Live.
This is a celebratory dish with multiple components. The score reflects the use of oil for frying, sugars in the sauce, and bacon, balanced by protein and fibre from the chicken, sprouts and vegetables.
Per serving (based on 5): approximately 720 kcal, 32g fat, 8g saturated fat, 78g carbohydrates, 28g sugars, 8g fibre, 32g protein.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the spiced sausage meat
- 4 sausages, casings removed, meat crumbled
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch mace
- pinch mustard powder
- 1½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the stuffed chicken thighs
- 2 large chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 100g plain flour
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
- 150g panko breadcrumbs
- groundnut oil or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- small bunch fresh chives, snipped
- pinch golden pepper or sesame seeds (to garnish)
For the cranberry sauce
- 200g cranberries
- 1 orange, juice only
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
Customise
- Use pork mince instead of sausage meat.
- Swap Seville orange gin for regular gin or orange juice.
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free flour and breadcrumbs.
For the sticky sprouts
- 500g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved if large
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil
- 75g dried cranberries, soaked, drained, chopped
- 1 tbsp Seville orange gin
- 1–2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- pinch dried red chilli flakes
- small handful cooked chestnuts, chopped
For the red cabbage fried rice
- 1–2 tbsp groundnut oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 250g unsmoked bacon lardons
- pinch Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
- handful red cabbage, finely shredded
- 500g cooked Jasmine rice (cold, day-old is best)
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1–2 pinches cracked black pepper
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
Method
This feast comes together by managing three key elements: the chicken, the sides, and the sauce. Do your prep first, then follow this sequence for a smooth finish where everything is hot and ready together.
Prep All Components (20 minutes)
- Make the spiced sausage mixture. In a bowl, combine the crumbled sausage meat, nutmeg, mace, mustard powder, the 1½ teaspoons of Chinese five-spice powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well with your hands or a fork and set aside.
- Prepare the chicken thighs. Place the boneless, skinless chicken thighs on a board. Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slits into the thickest parts of each thigh—this helps them cook evenly. Rub the thighs all over with the sea salt, black pepper, and the ½ teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder.
- Encase the chicken. Take half of the spiced sausage meat and mould it evenly around one chicken thigh, completely covering it to form a sealed layer. Repeat with the remaining sausage meat and the second thigh. Place the flour, beaten egg, and panko breadcrumbs into three separate shallow dishes.
- Bread the chicken parcels. Carefully roll each sausage-wrapped chicken thigh first in the flour, then dip it fully in the beaten egg, and finally coat it thoroughly in the panko breadcrumbs, pressing gently to help them adhere. Set the breaded parcels on a plate.
- Prep vegetables and sauce base. Trim the Brussels sprouts. Finely chop the onion for the rice and shred the red cabbage. Soak the dried cranberries for the sprouts in hot water. For the cranberry sauce, combine the fresh cranberries, orange juice, star anise, cinnamon stick, sugar, and 500ml water in a saucepan but do not cook yet. Measure out all other sauces, oils, and seasonings.
Cook the Cranberry Sauce (10 minutes)
- Simmer and strain. Place the saucepan with the cranberry mixture over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. You will thicken it right at the end.
Fry & Bake the Chicken (15 minutes)
- Preheat oven and heat oil. Preheat your oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Pour groundnut oil into a deep, heavy-based frying pan to a depth of about 2.5cm. Heat the oil to 150C (a small piece of bread should turn golden in roughly 15 seconds).
- Shallow-fry to set the crust. Gently lower the breaded chicken parcels into the hot oil. Fry for 2 minutes on each side, turning occasionally, until the coating is a uniform pale golden brown.
- Bake to cook through. Using tongs, transfer the parcels to a baking tray. Place in the hot oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked. The safest check is a meat thermometer inserted into the centre of the chicken (not just the sausage) reading 74°C. Transfer to a wire rack or kitchen paper to rest.
Cook the Sides While the Chicken Bakes (10 minutes)
- Par-boil then glaze the sprouts. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook for 2-3 minutes, then drain thoroughly. Heat 1 tbsp groundnut oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the drained sprouts and the chopped, soaked dried cranberries. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the Seville orange gin—it will sizzle. Then add the light soy sauce and maple syrup. Cook, tossing constantly, for 1-2 minutes until the sprouts are coated in a sticky glaze. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with chilli flakes and chopped chestnuts.
- Stir-fry the rice. In the same wok (no need to wash), heat another 1-2 tbsp groundnut oil until smoking. Add the chopped onion and bacon lardons. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until the onion softens and the bacon colours. Add a pinch of Chinese five-spice and the Shaoxing wine, letting it bubble for a few seconds. Toss in the shredded red cabbage and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Add the cold, cooked jasmine rice, breaking up any clumps. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until hot. Add the light soy sauce, lemon juice, toasted sesame oil, and cracked black pepper. Toss everything together, then stir through the sliced spring onion. Remove from heat.
Finish & Serve (5 minutes)
- Thicken the cranberry sauce. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a clean saucepan. Pour the cooked cranberry mixture into the sieve, pressing down on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids. Bring the strained sauce to a gentle simmer. Give the cornflour-and-water mixture a stir and whisk it into the sauce. Cook for 1 minute until the sauce thickens to a glossy, coating consistency.
- Slice and plate. Slice each cooked chicken parcel diagonally into 1.5cm thick pieces. Drizzle a little cranberry sauce onto each warmed serving plate. Place a portion of the red cabbage fried rice and a pile of sticky sprouts alongside. Arrange the sliced chicken on or next to the rice. Garnish the chicken with snipped chives and a pinch of golden pepper. Serve immediately with extra cranberry sauce on the side.