Chicken Trinidad with Orange-Rum Sauce
A stuffing of nuts, grapes, and apples, a coconut crust, and orange-rum sauce give an island taste to chicken rolls. The stuffed chicken breasts are browned on top of the stove, then finished in the oven so that they cook completely while retaining a tender crust.
Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts - 4, 6- to 8-ounce
- Angostura Bitters - 1/4 cup
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Apples - 2, peeled and diced
- Blue Seedless Grapes - 8 ounces, cut in halves
- Almonds - 6 ounces, blanched, sliced
- All-Purpose Flour - 1 cup
- Coconut - 2 cups, grated
- Peanut Oil - 1 pint
- Orange-Rum Sauce
- Concentrated Orange Juice - 6 ounces
- Aged Dark Rum - 2 ounces
- Cold Unsalted butter - 3/4 cup, cut into 8 pieces
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 3 to 4 tablespoons
- Garnish
- Green Onions - 8 small, whole
- Almonds - 1/2 cup, blanched, sliced
Instructions
Remove the bones from the chicken breasts. Place the breasts between sheets of plastic film wrap and pound with a mallet or other blunt heavy object until very flat. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap and sprinkle the breasts with bitters, salt, and pepper to taste. Divide the apples, grapes, and almonds among the breasts, and roll up each breast around the filling, pressing the ends to seal.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a deep pot or deep fryer, heat the peanut oil until rippling, about 360 F to 380 F. Dip each breast in flour, shake to remove excess, then dip in the beaten egg Roll the breasts in the coconut flakes. Using tongs, lower into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 20 - 30 seconds. With tongs, lift the breasts from the oil, drain them on paper towels, and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Remove from oven and set aside.
To make the sauce: Combine the orange juice and rum in a deep saucepan and boil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat in the butter, one piece at a time, with an electric mixer set on medium. Stir in the heavy cream.
To make the garnish: Cut the tops and roots from the onions, leaving a little of the green part attached to the bulb. Lay the onions on their sides and slice the green portion vertically into fringe. Place in ice water for 30 minutes.
To serve: Pour the sauce on the serving plates. Slice the breasts diagonally and reassemble the slices on the sauce, revealing the stuffed centers. Put the ketchup in a squeeze bottle and dot the sauce with ketchup in 5 places on each place. Pull through the ketchup with the tip of a sharp knife to create stars. Garnish with onion frills and a sprinkling of sliced almonds.
