Chicken & Spring Onion Terrine

On Friday night, I went to a dinner party at my brother’s new house.  I offered to make the starter and bring it with me, as I had my eye on a particular recipe for what seems like years now.  This was the perfect excuse to make it!

I spotted the recipe when I was laying on the couch, one hungover Sunday, watching the Come Dine With Me marathon.  One of the contestants made “Terrine of Spring Onion and Chicken in Parma Ham”.  I drooled all the way through the program and vowed to make it one day.

Terrine is actually the name of the type of dish that it was traditionally cooked in, apparently.  I used to always think Terrines were a type of Pate, in my blissful ignorance! 🙂

I adapted the recipe slightly, by using Black Forest Ham instead of Parma Ham.  They had a special deal on in Lidl, so why not? 

I also amended the amounts to have enough for 6 servings.  I had a terribly idiotic moment, when I realised my loaf tin wouldn’t hold enough for 6 servings.  I went into a panic and started conjuring up these images of making individual parcels instead, using Tupperware dishes as temporary templates.  My friend Michelle took on the role of Oracle, by suggesting that I just use one of the bigger dishes in the cupboard instead of the loaf tin.  Crisis averted!  Silly me… *blush*.

Here’s my adaptation of Ingredients (Serves 6):

3 chicken breasts

1 chicken stock cube

4 eggs, beaten

1 bunch of spring onions, roughly chopped

150g self-raising flour

2 x 200g packs of Black Forest Ham (about 20 slices)

4tbsp milk

150g vintage cheddar, grated

Heres what I did:

First, I crushed up a chicken stock cube in a little olive oil, then rubbed it over the chicken.  I roasted the chicken in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 40 minutes.

While the chicken was roasting away, I lined my baking dish with the ham.  It looks a bit obscene, somehow, doesn’t it?

I mixed the flour, eggs and milk together.  Then stirred in the chicken (which I’d cut into small chunks) and cheese.  I put half the mixture into the dish.

I sprinkled the spring onions over, then topped with the rest of the mixture and folded the ham over the top, sealing it all in.  I baked it in the oven for 1 hour at 180 degrees, covering it with foil after about 10 minutes, as I felt it was browning too quickly.

Some of the mixture managed to escape through the spaces in the ham, but I turned it out onto the chopping board and the underside was perfectly flat and sealed.

I made this ahead of the dinner party, and reheated it when we got there, in the oven at a low temperature for about 20 mins (whilst we had some tipples!).

I sliced the terrine into 6 pieces and served on a bed of rocket salad, balsamic vinegar and a dollop of tomato chutney on the side.  Everyone was starving so I didn’t have the nerve to faff about taking photos of it.  Apologies!

The main course was Steak Frites with Diane sauce, and we had Apple Pie & Cream for dessert.  It was phenomenal.

I started feeling bad about not having taken a photo of the end result, and my boyfriend said I should make it again and take photos.  Confirmation that he’d eat it again… I’m counting that as praise for the dish! 🙂

If you’re stuck for a tasty starter dish, you can’t go wrong with this one; its delicious and easy!

Enjoy 😀 x

24 Comments

  3. Ananda

    since i’m not ham person, shame i know! everyone said it is something very good and i must try….hopefully one day in my life i shall try this…i can totally relate to the feeling of one recipe stuck for long till it is executed, glad you did it and it came out so well 🙂

  4. Merisi, Vienna

    AS much as I love Parma ham, I’d rather eat it raw, that’s why Black Forest to me sounds even better with this terrine. A slice of it on rocket salad with all those condiments must have been quite a treat!

    Diane sauce always reminds me of Julia Child. And if only because I watched her prepare, but never tasted it myself! 😉

  5. Merisi, Vienna

    P.S.:
    I was wondering: Was Julia Child a familiar figure in Great Britain before the “Julie and Julia” book and movie? I learned to cook with her, watching her TV shows reruns on Public Television in the States, and from her “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”.

    1. noblenourishment

      I speak for myself here when I sheepishly admit that I’d never heard of Julia Child before the movie! The reasons for that may be that I’m only 25 or that I’m still very much a novice when it comes to cooking. Having said that, I did watch the film and adored it, and have “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in my Amazon wish list! 🙂

  6. Travel Food Phil

    I never knew it was named after the dish it was cooked in either, thanks for that! This looks like a beautiful rich dish that would go down well at any time of the year.

  10. MaryMoh

    This looks quite simple to cook. I think I can manage that. It looks very special and delicious. Now’s my turn to drool…haha. Thanks very much for sharing.

  12. Sharon @ Fun and Life

    No it doesn’t look too obscene lol. The end result is lovely! Looks so delicious too! I wonder how it looks when you cut it open. I’d still happily take a piece though 😉

    Thanks for dropping by my blog :). Will pop back again!

Comments are closed.