The smallest of chickens, poussin is tender and quick to cook. Each one is a perfect portion size, making them great for dinner parties.
Ingredients
- 12 spring onions (trimmed)
- 2 tblsp olive oil
- 4 oven ready poussins
- 75 g butter (at room temperature)
- 8 fresh sage leaves (plus extra to garnish)
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 225 g swiss chard (thick stalks removed and roughly chopped)
- coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Arrange the spring onions in a roasting tin.
- Season generously and toss in half the olive oil until evenly coated.
- Loosen the skin around the neck of each poussin and push under a little of the butter until evenly spread over the breast, then push a sage leaf down each side so that they are clearly visible.
- Arrange the poussins on the bed of spring onions and scatter over the garlic. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil and season to taste.
- Roast for 35 minutes until the poussins are completely tender and golden brown. Leave to rest in a warm place for at least 10 minutes.
- To serve:
- Heat the remaining knob of butter in a pan and quickly sauté the chard for a minute or two until wilted.
- Season to taste and divide among warmed serving plates. Add some of the roasted spring onions to each one and sit a poussin on top.
- Scatter over the sage leaves to garnish.
