Serves 10
Preparation time 1 hour
Cooking time 25 minutes
Oven temperature 180°C

• olive oil
• 2 yellow peppers, washed, seeded and diced
• 10 chicken breast fillets
• handful of fresh sage leaves
• 200ml ricotta cheese
• 3ml grated lemon zest
• 1 large egg
• 250g rindless streaky bacon
• roasted baby potatoes and vegetables, to serve

Sauce

• 60ml butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 10ml flour
• 250ml chicken stock
• 5ml Dijon mustard
• 125ml white wine
• squeeze of lemon juice

1 Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the peppers until tender. Set aside to cool.

2 Cut the chicken breasts open lengthways to butterfly. Place between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to tap each one gently to flatten them out as much as possible.

3 Chop eight sage leaves. Stir into the ricotta along with the lemon zest, egg and the cooked peppers. Season to taste.

4 Spoon a little filling on to a chicken breast. Roll up carefully and roll one or two pieces of bacon around the chicken breast. Secure with toothpicks. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts, filling and bacon.

5 Place the chicken pieces onto a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

6 For the sauce, heat half the butter and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the flour and stir in. Add the stock gradually, stirring continuously. Add the mustard and wine and simmer gently until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add a little lemon juice and season to taste.

7 Heat the remaining butter and fry the remaining sage leaves until they are crisp.

8 Slice the chicken and serve drizzled with the sage butter and scattered with a few sage leaves. Serve the sauce on the side together with roasted baby potatoes and vegetables.

Text and image: Ideas magazine