Poaching Pinwheels

This clever technique is surprisingly simple - chicken breasts are cut open, then rolled around a filling. After cooking, the rolls are sliced crosswise to reveal pinwheel shapes. For the filling, choose colourful and juicy ingredients, such as pepper strips, spinach, herbs and soft cheese. Here the rolls are foil-wrapped and poached; they can be wrapped in bacon and roasted.

1. Cut through one long side of a skinless, boneless chicken breast, leaving it attached on the opposite side. Detach the fillet and set aside.

   

2. Open the breast out flat, cut-side up. Put it between two sheets of baking parchment and pound with a rolling pin or meat mallet to flatten and stretch it. Remove the top sheet of parchment. Spread your chosen stuffing (in this case goat’s cheese and chopped spinach) evenly over the cut side.

   

3. Replace the fillet in the centre of the breast, parallel to the long sides. Starting from one long side, roll the meat into a cylinder.

   

4. Roll the paper around the cylinder, pulling it tightly as you go, and twist the ends to seal. Wrap in foil and twist the ends as before.

   

5. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the roll. Poach, covered, over a gentle heat for 15 minutes or until a metal skewer feels warm when withdrawn from the centre. Remove from the pan, unwrap and slice crosswise on the diagonal.