We’re going to recreate one of my favorite chefs signatures with a little Jules twist and I’m talking about the chicken dish by Alex Dilling. It’s a chicken & truffle mousse that’s filled a shiitake mushroom, truffle, chicken liver, heart and breast. We serve it with a classic pommes paolo, a chicken bitterbal and a beautiful Madeira chicken sauce!
How to break down the chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cornfed chicken around 1.9 kg
Instructions
- Make an incision on the claws and break the joints. Now cut them off. Now also cut the head and neck off.
- The necks have so much flavor and I always use them for the sauce, but you can also debone them and stuff them. So good!
- Then make an incision on both the legs and also break those joints. Try to make the incision far away from the breasts. We are not doing it this time, but if you cook your breasts with the skin you want to have as much skin as possible. Also cut the legs off.
- Normally before removing the breasts I always cut the wings off as well, but they give a lot of stability and insure the breasts point up. So first we're going to cut the breasts off.
- Just make an incision on the spine and follow the bone until the breasts are removed.
- If you try you can cut the wings off by cutting directly on the joints. This also works with the claws from before. But if your knife is stuck you can also first break the joints and then cut the wings off.
- Then break the bottom part of the top part and cut it off. Now you can take the livers out together with the stomach. The stomach is still full of feed and stones, so be sure to keep it separate from the meat. To clean it first rinse if out under cold water before cutting it in half. Then just peel the leathery layer off. This layer is very hard and I always throw it away. The final thing we need to remove is the heart.
Brine
Ingredients
- 2 liters water
- 60 g nitrite salt
- the chicken wings and legs
Instructions
- Mix the water with the nitrite salt and whisk it well till all the salt has dissolved.
- Now take the chicken wings and legs and remove the skin. You should be able to just pull it off. Keep the skin in your fridge for later.
- Then submerge the chicken in the brine and let it brine for 24 hours in your fridge.
Madeira chicken sauce
Ingredients
- 2 kg chicken bones
- 2 kg chicken necks
- 1 big onion 150 g cleaned
- 100 g leek
- 100 g celeriac
- 100 g celery
- 4 cloves garlic
- 500 g white wine
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 g black pepper
- 2 g coriander seeds
- 500 g Madeira
Instructions
- Place the chicken bones on a tray together with the chicken necks. Now toast the bones and necks at 180 °C (356 °F) for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile cut the onion in half and clean it. Now slice it in thin slices. You’ll need 150 grams. Then cut the top part of the leek in half and wash it well under cold water. Slice it as well and do the same with the celeriac and the celery. Also cut the garlic in half.
- Once you’re happy with the color of the chicken you can transfer it into a big pan and deglaze the oven tray with the white wine. Let it soak for 10 minutes in the oven.
- Now submerge the chicken with cold water and also add the white wine from the oven tray. Then add the cut vegetables with the thyme, the bay leaves, the black pepper and the coriander seeds.
- Bring this to a simmer and let it simmer for at least 6 hours. If needed add some more water in between. Once you’re happy with the flavor pass the broth through a fine sieve and let it drip for at least 30 minutes so you don’t waste a single drop.
- After that let the broth reduce for around 80% and while it’s reducing remove any fat or protein that’s floating on top. Clean the ladle in between to get the best result and once all the fat is removed set 250 grams of the broth aside for later. We need it for the bitterballen.
- While the broth is reducing you can also reduce the madeira for around 80% till it has a sticky syrup consistency.
- Once you’re happy with the flavor of the broth pass it through a fine sieve once more.
- Now add a drizzle of the reduced madeira to the reduced chicken sauce and keep on tasting and adding reduced Madeira till you're happy with the flavor. When you think the flavor is too powerful add a drizzle of sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar.
- Then you can keep the sauce covered in your fridge for later.
Confit chicken bitterbals
Ingredients
The confit chicken
- the brined chicken wings and legs we made before
- 80 g duck or goose fat
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
The bitterbals
- 60 g butter
- 50 g flour
- 250 g chicken broth we made before
- sherry vinegar
- balsamic vinegar a nice rich one
Instructions
The confit chicken
- After the 24 hours you can take the legs and wings out of the brine. Then place them in a vacuum bag.
- Also add the duck or goose fat together with the thyme and the bay leaves. Vacuum this a 100%. If you don’t have a vacuum machine you can also confit the legs in a pan that’s filled with melted duck or goose fat. Just insure that they are submerged.
- Cook the chicken sous-vide at 90 °C (194 °F) for about 3 hours. You should be able to press the meat off the bone.
- Then take the wings and legs out of the bag and when still hot clean the meat by removing the bones, herbs and any other unwanted parts. Once cleaned chop the meat into fine pieces. Transfer it into a bowl and set it aside for later.
The bitterbals
- Melt the butter on a medium heat. When it has melted add the flour and while stirring cook the flour for 2 to 3 minutes. This will give the base more strength and give a lovely nutty flavor.
- Now while stirring in two or three parts add the chicken broth from before and bring the base to a boil in between. This prevent lumps from forming. Once all the broth is added you need to boil it once more.
- Then add the chopped confit chicken and mix it well till it’s an even mix. Season it with some black pepper, sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar and if needed salt.
- When you’re happy with the flavor you can fill the bottom half of a sphere mold. Click here for more information.
- Then level it and close the mold with the top half. Now fill it completely. You could also shape them without the mold once the mixture has cooled down, but this just insures an even tight end result and it’s a massive timesaver. Level the top and then freeze them till solid.
- Later we finish the bitterbals with some chicken skin bread crumbs.
Chicken mousse / farce
Ingredients
The interior garnish
- the chicken breasts
- the chicken carcass
- 50 g black winter truffle I use Australian winter truffle
- 100 g shiitake mushrooms
- the chicken heart and livers
The chicken mousse / farce
- 200 g chicken meat and trimmings we made before
- 5 g salt
- 30 g egg white
- 120 g cold cream 35% fat
Instructions
The interior garnish
- Begin by removing all the skin and fat from the breasts. Keep the skin with the rest in your fridge. Then cut the chicken breasts in half and keep the thick side in your fridge for later.
- Now take the carcass and scrape any meat that’s left on the bones off. Add it to the thin side of the chicken breast. In total you need 200 grams. Keep it in your fridge for later. The cleaned carcass you can also use for the sauce.
- Take the black winter truffle and trim the sides. It needs to be around 40 to 50 grams. Chop the trimmings in very small pieces.
- The trimmed truffle you can slice in thin slices, before slicing it in julienne and then in small cubes also known as brunoise. You need 25 grams for the interior and the rest of the brunoise you can keep for the decoration. Keep both in your fridge for later.
- Now take the shiitake mushrooms and separate the stems from the caps. Cut both in small even pieces or cubes. It doesn’t need to be very precise.
- Drizzle some oil in a hot pan and pan fry the chicken heart and livers on a high heat. Add some salt for seasoning and keep on move the heart and livers to get the highest possible heat. Once a nice color has formed you can cool them down in your fridge.
- In the same pan you can pan fry the shiitake mushrooms. Also add some salt for seasoning and pan fry them till a nice golden color has formed all around. Then take it out of the pan and also let it cool down in your fridge.
- Season the thick parts of the chicken breasts with salt. Add a drizzle of oil to a new pan and pan fry them on a low medium heat till light golden has formed and they are cooked on both sides.
- Let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting them in even cubes. Then also cut the chicken heart and the chicken livers. Keep all the portioned garnish covered in your fridge for later.
The chicken mousse / farce
- Mix the 200 grams of cold chicken trimmings with the salt and the egg white. Blend it till smooth but beware that it doesn’t heat up from the friction. Just keep on feeling the side of the blender to double check this.
- Once smooth add the cold cream and blend it for a couple more seconds. Directly stop when the cream is incorporated to prevent the mousse from splitting. Now to bring the mousse to the next level you can press it through a fine flour sieve. This is optional, but it does really improve the texture. I always use a dough scraper to get it done fast and proper.
- Weigh 100 grams of the mousse in a bowl. The remaining mousse you can transfer in another bowl and add the chopped truffle trimmings. Mix it well and then transfer it into a piping bag. Keep it in your fridge for later.
- Then take the bowl with the 100 grams of chicken mousse and add the shiitake mushroom, the chicken liver, heart, breast and the 25 grams of truffle brunoise. Fold it well till it’s a thick paste.
- Now use this paste to fill the interior mold and press it down so no air pockets can form. Level it with a pallet knife. Click here for more information on the mold. Then cover the paste with some wrap and steam the mold at 64 °C (147 °F) for 30 minutes.
- Once cooked let it cool down completely before removing it from the mold. Keep it in your fridge for later.
- Now spray some pan coating in the Alex Dilling mold and pipe the truffle chicken mousse on the inside. Press the piping bag down so no air pockets can form and then press it down with the back on a spoon so insure you also get that beautiful pattern.
- Then gently press the interior in the mousse before you can spread the remaining mousse on top. Now place another piece of wrap on top and steam it again at 64 °C (147 °F) for 30 minutes.
- After that place it upside down on another tray and remove the mold. Leave it uncovered in your fridge for at least a couple of hours.
Chicken skin breadcrumbs
Ingredients
- the chicken bitterbals we made before
- the chicken skin from before
- flour
- beaten egg
- bread crumbs
Instructions
- Place the chicken skin from before on your worktop and scrape all the fat off with a pallet knife. Once they’re clean you can spread it on a silicon sheet. You really need to give some pressure to remove all the fat, so use a strong pallet knife so it doesn’t break.
- Then place another sheet and metal tray on top and bake the chicken skin at 180 °C (356 °F) for about 40 minutes. You want a lovely golden crispy skin.
- Now let it cool down before you can chop it into a fine crumble. Then transfer it on a metal tray and add some breadcrumbs. We use a 1 to 1 ratio. Mix it well.
- After that remove the top part of the frozen mold and trim the top of the bitterbals when necessary. Take all of the balls out of the mold and roll them between your hands to tighty them up.
- Then we can breadcrumb the bitterbals. First add a layer of flour on all the balls and remove any excess flour by rolling the balls between your hands.
- Now cover them with a layer of beaten egg before placing them in the chicken skin breadcrumbs. Do this with a tweezer while moving the breadcrumbs to get the best result without making your hands dirty.
- Lay them all on a tray and freeze them for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Repeat this process once more, only then without the flour. Then keep them in your freezer for later.
Pommes paolo
Ingredients
- 3 big waxy potatoes
- 400 g duck or goose fat
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leave
- 4 cloves garlic
Instructions
Making the pommes paolo
- Begin by peeling the big waxy potatoes. Now slice them in thin slices on a mandolin. They need to be around 3 millimeters thin. And beware a mandolin is very sharp, so be careful with your fingers.
- Then place the slices in stacks on your cutting board and cut them with a round cutter. Keep the trimmings for another recipe. I used them to make a lovely Spanish tortilla.
- Submerge the slices in water and rinse them till the water is clear. We do this to remove any excess starch otherwise the slices might color too much when deep frying.
- Now season some boiling water with salt and blanch the potato slices for around a minute. They need to snap when bending the potato. Then spread them on a kitchen towel and let the slices cool down in your fridge.
- While that’s cooling down we can marinade the melted goose or duck fat. Pour it into a saucepan and add the thyme, the bay leaves and the garlic that are cut in half. Let it marinade on a low heat for 15 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let it cool down for 30 minutes.
- Now transfer the cold potato slices in a bowl and add the marinaded fat that’s at room temperature. Make sure every slice is covered and let it marinade for at least 20 minutes.
- Then stack the slices till they have the same height as the metal cups and press them well together so they stick to each other. Now place the stack in the cups and repeat it with all the slices. Then fill the cups with the remaining fat and make sure the potato is covered. Keep it in your fridge for later.
How to finish the pommes paolo
- Place the cups in a pan and add enough oil to submerge the cups a little over halfway. Don’t add too much oil, when it heats up the oil expends and it might overflow in the cups.
- Heat the pan on a high heat to deep fry the pommes poalo. Refill the cups with some more hot goose or duck fat when necessary.
- Once the potato is golden brown gently turn the cups around while pressing the potato in the cup. Now place them upside down on a rack and remove the cups. Be careful, the cups are still very hot!
- Now it's always best to serve the pommes paolo straight away. You can also prepare these beforehand and just reheat them in the oven during service.
- For this try to deep fry them as late as possible and reheat them at 180 °C (356 °F) to 190 °C (374 °F) for a couple of minutes. If you reheat them leave the top potato slice on the pommes paolo and remove it after reheating. This is a little chefs snack.
How to finish the dish
Instructions
- Take the chicken mousse and torch the top all around with a blowtorch. Heat it up in a steam oven at 60 °C (140 °F) for around 10 minutes.
- Then glaze it with the madeira chicken sauce and heat it some more in a normal oven that’s 70 °C (158 °F). Keep on glazing it in between till the center of the mousse is hot and the outside has a beautiful shine.
- Meanwhile we can finish the pommes paolo and bitterbals. Just deep fry the bitterbals frozen at 180 °C (356 °F) till golden brown. This takes around 3 minutes. The pommes paolo you can reheat like I mentioned before.
- Once you’re happy with the chicken mousse decorate the top with the truffle brunoise we cut before.
- Then in between the truffle place some pickled mustard seeds. Click here for the recipe. As a final decoration we have some lovely lemon thyme leaves.
- Now gently slice the mousse in half with a very sharp and long knife. Be very gentle so you don’t waste all your hard work. Place one half on a pre heated plate and place a warm pommes paolo and bitterbal next to it.
- Now add some yarrow flowers and leaves before finishing the dish with that incredible madeira and chicken sauce!
The pairing
As a pairing we serve this Chablis Fourchaume Premier Cru 2021 from Louis Jadot. It is an elegant Chardonnay from one of Chablis’ most renowned Premier Cru vineyards. Fourchaume is celebrated for its combination of refinement, minerality, and depth — qualities that make Chablis so distinctive and sought after around the world. The wine is fresh and refined, with notes of citrus, green apple, white flowers, and the characteristic chalky minerality of Chablis. On the palate, it is balancing vibrant acidity with a subtle creaminess. The finish is long, elegant, and distinctly mineral.
Louis Jadot is one of Burgundy’s most prestigious and recognizable wine houses. Founded in 1859, the house owns vineyards across some of the region’s most celebrated appellations. Louis Jadot’s philosophy is rooted in respect for terroir — the unique combination of soil, climate, and vineyard location that gives each Burgundy wine its character. This Chablis Fourchaume Premier Cru is a beautiful example of that philosophy, combining the precision and freshness of Chablis with the additional depth and complexity expected from a Premier Cru.
