Boning the Bird

Ballotines are usually made with duck, turkey or, as here, chicken, but game birds such as pheasant or grouse are also suitable. You can ask your butcher to bone the bird for you, or do it yourself following the techniques shown here. Reserve the carcass for stock. A ballotine is almost always served cold, so start making it the day before you wish to serve it to allow time for the meat to settle and cool after cooking.

1. Dislocate each leg by breaking it at the thigh joint. Carefully remove the wishbone with a boning knife.

   

2. With the bird breast-side down on the cutting board, cut down the centre of the backbone from the neck to the tail end.

   

3. Working from the front of the bird to the back, carefully scrape away the flesh on one side of the backbone, cutting into the bird to expose the ribcage.

   

4. Repeat on the other side of the backbone, being careful not to pierce the breast skin with the knife. Pull the rib and backbone from the flesh of the bird.

   

5. Scrape away the flesh from away the bone and cut away the bone at the joint with a knife or poultry shears. Scrape all the flesh away from the wings up to the first joint.

   

6. Remove the exposed wing bone by cutting away the rest of the wing at the joint. Cut away the tendon from each fillet and breast. The chicken is now ready for stuffing and rolling.