Ready to go beyond turkey? These knockout main dishes from some of the most exciting chefs in Britain range from effortlessly simple to skill-raising. What they have in common is a sense of occasion… Bring one to the table on Christmas Day and we guarantee it will elicit gasps of appreciation
Sally Abé’s brioche & thyme butter-stuffed chicken crown
Serves 4 Hands-on time 20 min Oven time 50-65 min, plus 20 min resting Specialist kit Piping bag
MAKE AHEAD The butter can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and kept in the piping bag in the fridge, but will need a few hours to come up to room temperature for piping.
TIME-SAVER If you prefer, ask a butcher to crown the chicken for you (and skip the first 3 steps of the recipe). Just make sure you get the legs, wings and other offcuts to use in other dishes or for gravy.
SCALE IT UP Serving more than four? Find a bigger chicken or cook 2 crowns – just up the amount of brioche butter. Any leftover butter can be used to enrich bread sauce or added to roast veg for the final few minutes in the oven. • 1 large free-range chicken (about 2kg)
• 100g brioche
• 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked, plus extra sprigs to garnish
• 100g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• 1 lemon
1 Put the chicken on a board and, using a sharp knife, cut into where the thigh meets the body to expose the ball joint. Pull the whole leg away from the carcass, twisting until it comes out of the joint, then cut through any skin to release the leg. Repeat with the other leg. Reserve the legs for another dish (or freeze).
2 Remove the wings in a similar way: cut through where they meet the main body of the bird, then twist and pull until they separate, cutting through the skin surrounding the joint. Save these to make gravy.
3 Finally, remove the underneath/backend of the chicken: with the chicken side on and breast-side up, cut diagonally with the knife along the natural line under the breasts and ribcage, where the rear cavity begins. Cut until you reach the backbone, near where the wings were attached, then cut through the backbone. You’re aiming to leave the ribcage under the chicken breasts intact so the crown holds its shape. Save the bones to use for stock and set the meaty crown aside.
4 Heat the oven to 120°C fan/gas 1. Whizz the brioche in a food processor to form breadcrumbs, then spread them out evenly on a baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes to dry them out a little.
5 Put the breadcrumbs back in the food processor, adding the thyme and butter. Whizz again to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Season w
