CHICKEN TERRINE WITH LEEKS & APRICOTS

Chicken terrine with leeks & apricots image

Whet the appetite for the main event by serving guests this special chicken terrine with leeks and apricots. It can be made up to three days ahead

Provided by Jane Hornby

Categories Starter

Time 1h30m

Yield Serves 8-10

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

1kg chicken thighs on the bone, skin removed
500ml fresh chicken stock (you can buy this ready-made)
2 bay leaves , plus more to decorate
handful thyme sprigs
handful parsley
2 leeks , finely chopped (keep the trimmings)
6 black peppercorns
30g butter , plus more for the tin
1 large or 2 smaller banana shallots , finely chopped
50g smoked streaky bacon or pancetta, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove , finely chopped
2 chicken breasts , on the bone if possible, skin removed
50g soft dried apricots , chopped
3 tbsp brandy
4 sheets leaf gelatine
toast drizzled with olive oil, to serve (we used Crosta & Mollica Pane Pugliese)

Steps:

Put the chicken thighs into a pan with the stock and a string-tied bundle of 2 bay leaves, a few of the thyme sprigs and a little of the parsley. Add a few leek trimmings, the peppercorns and ½ tsp salt. Add water to just cover the meat, if needed. Bring to the boil, then cover and gently simmer for 30 mins.
Meanwhile, lightly butter a 900g loaf tin (ours was 12cm x 22cm x 7cm) and line with cling film, leaving plenty of overhang. Melt the butter in a frying pan, then add the leeks, shallots and some seasoning. Cook for 10 mins over a medium heat until starting to colour. Add the bacon and garlic and cook for 2 mins more until the bacon is cooked through. Leave to cool.
Add the chicken breast to the stock mixture and top up with hot water to cover. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for another 20 mins. When ready, the chicken breast will be cooked through and the thigh meat will pull away easily from the bones. Lift the meat from the pan, drain the stock and leave to cool until it is just warm.
Discard the bones and any knobbly bits, then roughly chop the chicken. Stir into the leek mixture, along with 2 tsp more thyme leaves, the apricots and the brandy.
Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 mins until floppy. Squeeze out the excess water, stir into 300ml of the warm stock, then mix with the chicken. Put a few bay leaves in the base of the tin, then spoon the chicken mixture on top and press down well. Cover with the cling film. Leave to cool, then chill thoroughly - overnight is best. Can be made up to three days ahead.
To serve, slice the terrine while it's still wrapped in cling film, then carefully peel the cling film off each slice. Drizzle the toast slices with olive oil and grill until golden brown and crisp, then sprinkle with a little salt. Serve the terrine with the toast and our yogurt piccalilli & crisp kale salad.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 256 calories, Fat 12 grams fat, SaturatedFat 4 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 3 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 3 grams sugar, Fiber 2 grams fiber, Protein 30 grams protein, Sodium 0.7 milligram of sodium