Chicken with Lobster

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• for the crabmeat stuffing:
• 500 g crabmeat
• 1 stick of celery
• 1/2 a red pepper
• 1/2 a green pepper
• 1/4 an onion
• 1 tbspn tomato ketchup
• 2 tbspns mustard
• 2 tbspns lemon juice
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning
• salt and pepper, to taste
• for the breadcrumbs:
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 100 ml milk
• 200 g panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)
• 100 g plain flour
• salt and pepper, to taste
• for the sweet potato purée:
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 tblsp butter
• juice of 1 lime
• for the wilted spinach:
• 400 g baby spinach
• knob of butter
• for the lobster and brandy sauce:
• 1 fresh lobster
• 1 shallot (peeled finely sliced)
• 2 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
• 1 stick of celery (roughly chopped)
• 2 star anise
• 1 tsp fresh tarragon (finely chopped)
• 200 ml single cream
• 100 ml brandy or your preferred liqueur

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
2. For the Stuffing: Place the crabmeat, the celery, the peppers and the onion in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Remove the mixture and place into a bowl.
3. Mix in the mayonnaise, the mustard, the ketchup, the lemon juice, the Cajun seasoning, the salt and pepper. Mix until well combined; it shouldn't be too wet in texture. Set aside.
4. For the Chicken: To butterfly the chicken take the chicken breast and starting ½cm from the top, make a lengthways incision to slit three quarters of the way through the breast with your knife to ½ cm from the end.
5. Open the slit and slice sideways into the chicken breast, being careful to stop ½cm from the edge - this will form the pocket. Fold back the flaps of the chicken breast and pound it out until thin.
6. Fill each pocket with the stuffing mix and roll it up tightly.
7. Whisk the eggs and milk together to make an egg wash. Season the Panko breadcrumbs with salt and pepper.
8. Lightly dust the chicken breasts with flour and dip each in the egg wash, then roll in the breadcrumbs until well coated.
9. Place each chicken breast in a deep fat fryer for 8-12 minutes until golden brown in colour.
10. Remove from the fryer, place on some kitchen paper and then place each chicken breast on a baking tray with a knob of butter on top of each and place it in the pre-heated oven until crispy. Set aside and keep warm.
11. For the Sweet Potato Purée: Place the 2 whole sweet potatoes on a baking tray lined with tin foil. Bake in the oven (preheated to 170°C) for 10-25 minutes until soft. Remove from the oven and slice each sweet potato in half.
12. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a bowl and blend together in a food processor with the butter and lime juice until smooth. Season to taste. Set aside and keep warm.
13. For the Sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a saucepan, add your lobster and fry until it turns pink and changes colour.
14. Next, add your vegetables and the garlic and fry until golden. Flambé with the brandy and reduce to syrupy consistency, then add the cream. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
15. Strain the sauce and add a knob of butter, place it back in the saucepan on a medium heat and reduce until it reaches a sauce consistency. Taste and season to your preference.
16. For the Wilted Spinach: Place the butter and the spinach in a saucepan over a medium heat until it wilts. Season and remove excess moisture.
17. To Serve: Place a spoon of the potato purée to side of the plate, then a spoon of the spinach alongside. Slice the chicken into three pieces, place it on top of the spinach, pour the sauce around the dish and serve immediately.