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Chicken Balmoral with Whisky Sauce

Chicken Balmoral is a relatively modern Scottish recipe that features breast stuffed with haggis, then wrapped in bacon before being roasted.

It is served with a delicious whisky cream sauce and whilst preparation takes a little while cooking the dish takes just 40 minutes!

Chicken Balmoral with whisky cream sauce, carrot & swede mash and broccoli.

Haggis Stuffed Chicken Breast Wrapped in Bacon

Offal really is my kinda mojo on so many levels, but it has been missing here for a while, but it’s back with a bang.

I’ve been working on many recipes recently ranging from black pudding risotto to leftover haggis pasta, devilled kidneys, liver curry and some stunning pan-fried lambs liver with port onions.

But this glorious Scottish chicken Balmoral won the prize for being first out of the gate… mainly because my wife wanted this first!

It is a relatively modern recipe and features a chicken breast, that is stuffed with cooked haggis, then wrapped in bacon and roasted. I know right?

It comes with a wonderful whisky sauce, although as with most of my dishes, I’ve done my own thing! I’ve added a solid whack of butter and a wee bit of whole-grain mustard too.

If this recipe is your kinda thing then you must check out my chicken Braemar recipe (bacon wrapped, black pudding stuffed chicken) which is very much a sister dish to this recipe and my brie and cranberry stuffed chicken breast.

Close-up bacon-wrapped chicken Balmoral stuffed with haggis and a whisky cream sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cook haggis?

I’ve deliberately left this out of the recipe, generally speaking, you would wrap your haggis in foil and either boil it or roast it in the oven in a pan of water.

The timing will depend on the haggis, you can even buy pre-cooked haggis.

What is haggis?

It’s all of the good stuff that makes people go ewww.

It’s heart, lung, liver, and kidneys mixed with oats, barley and loads of spicing and if you are here you already know this, so shouldn’t be running away!

Is vegetarian haggis any good?

As haggis, it is pretty rubbish, but as a flavouring to stuff chicken, it will work well enough. Particularly if you are feeding folk who are less than adventurous.

Where can I get haggis from in the US?

I need to say sorry to my US-based readers, you are gonna have to sit this one out. It is not possible to get haggis or import haggis into the US.

Why does your chicken breast have a bone?

I’ve used a chicken supreme in these photos which is a chicken breast with the first joint of the wing left on.

It does not change the cooking or eating of the recipe, it just looks “special”!

What whisky should I use?

I would say the same thing about all alcohol you cook with, make sure it is something you would be prepared to drink.

I like something quite peaty and earthy but that is a personal preference. But I would definitely avoid your best expensive single malt!

Overhead chicken Balmoral with whisky cream sauce, carrot and swede mash & broccoli.

Serving Suggestions

I’ve served my haggis stuffed Balmoral chicken breast here with my swede and carrot mash and some roasted tenderstem broccoli.

It’s quite unapologetically a twist on the classic accompaniment to haggis of neeps and tatties, but honestly… I prefer this.

It is also superb with celeriac mash or clapshot (swede and potato mash). Mashed potato works too but it does make it an incredibly rich plate of food.

If you wanted some other veggies, glazed chantenay carrots, crushed roasted new potatoes or roasted Brussels sprouts would both work well.

Whisky cream sauce poured over bacon-wrapped chicken Balmoral stuffed with haggis.

Equipment Used

I only recommend specific brands of equipment if I believe that they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

  • Oven.
  • Sharp kitchen knife.
  • Chopping Board.
  • Stovetop.
  • Small saucepan (15cm or 6″).
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
  • Quick read meat thermometer.
Scottish chicken Balmoral with whisky cream sauce, carrot & swede mash and broccoli.
Yield: 2 Servings

Chicken Balmoral Recipe with a Whisky Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

My version of chicken Balmoral, a delicious breast of chook stuffed with haggis and then wrapped in bacon before being roasted to perfection and served with a whisky cream and mustard sauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 Medium Chicken Breasts
  • 125g (4oz) Cooked Haggis
  • ½ Tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
  • ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
  • 175g (10-12 Rashers) Streaky Bacon

For the Whisky Sauce:

  • 1 (35g) Shallot
  • 25g (1 Tbsp + 2 Tsp) Butter
  • 125ml (½ Cup) Whisky
  • 125ml (½ Cup) Chicken Stock
  • 75ml Double Cream
  • 1 Tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
  • Pinch Salt

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken breasts on a chopping board and using a large sharp kitchen knife cut a pocket in the breast from top to bottom, leaving 1-1.5cm (½") hiding the breast together and 1-1.5cm (½") at the top and bottom of the chicken breast.
  2. Season the inside of the chicken breast with black pepper and fresh thyme leaves.
  3. Take half of the haggis and form it into a sausage with your hands roughly about the same size as the pocket you have formed in the chicken breast. then stuff the chicken and close the breast and then form it back into a "natural" looking shape. The repeat with the second chicken breast.
  4. Wrap the chicken with the rashers of bacon trying to leave the "joins" at the bottom of the chicken breast so that the whole thing hangs together neatly.
  5. Place the chicken on a roasting tin and place in the oven at 220°C or 430°F oven. As soon as the chicken goes in the oven, reduce the heat to 180°C or 350°F and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken reaches 70°C or 158°F and then remove and rest covered with foil for 8-10 minutes. During the resting time, the chicken should reach 73-74°C or 165°F.
  6. Whilst the chicken is roasting peel and dice the shallot as finely as you can.
  7. Heat a small (15cm or 6") saucepan over a medium heat and add the butter.
  8. When the butter begins to foam add the shallots and cook without colouring for 3-4 minutes, if the shallots begin to colour reduce the heat a little.
  9. Turn the heat up to high and pour in the whisky, then reduce in volume by half to two-thirds.
  10. Pour in the chicken stock and cream, reduce the heat to medium-low and mix everything together.
  11. Add the mustard, have a taste and then season with salt as required, simmer until a nice sauce consistency is achieved, which should take 10-12 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 934Total Fat: 61gSaturated Fat: 30gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 342mgSodium: 1385mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 66g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Scot

Tuesday 6th of December 2022

Plenty of places to get Haggis in the US, just no lung in it. Scottish Gourmet, Ackroyd's, etc. are a couple of sources I use. They also have slice, proper bacon, black &white pudding, bangers...

Brian Jones

Saturday 17th of December 2022

Cheers Scot... That's great info, I'll update this to reflect your comments in the next couple of days.

Thanks

Brian

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