Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken Wings
- 8 mid-joint chicken wings, whole, skin on
- 30 ml grapeseed oil, for searing
- 100 ml chicken jus
Tarragon Mousseline
- 150 g skinless chicken breast, diced and well chilled
- 100 ml heavy cream, cold, minimum 35 percent fat
- 1 egg white, cold
- 5 g fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- 5 g fine sea salt
- 1 g white pepper, ground
Pickled Shallots
- 100 g banana shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings
- 100 ml white wine vinegar
- 100 ml water
- 50 g caster sugar
- 5 g fine sea salt
Girolles
- 150 g fresh girolles, cleaned, trimmed
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 1 garlic, crushed
- 2 g fresh thyme, whole sprigs
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 498 kcal
- Protein
- 29 g
- Carbohydrates
- 9 g
- Fat
- 39 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 713 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 15 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 180 mg
- Potassium
- 629 mg
- Calcium
- 68 mg
- Iron
- 2.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 44 mg
- Phosphorus
- 245 mg
- Zinc
- 2.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 176 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 2.6 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 2 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.8 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.4 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.11 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.32 mg
- Niacin
- 11.1 mg
- Folate
- 20 mcg
- Water
- 196 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
In a saucepan, combine the white wine vinegar, water, caster sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved, then pour the hot liquid over the sliced shallots in a heatproof bowl. Let cool to room temperature.
Using a boning knife, carefully remove the two bones from each mid-joint chicken wing. Scrape the meat down from the top joint, twist the bones to snap them at the base, and pull them out, leaving the skin intact to form a hollow tube.
To make the mousseline, place the chilled diced chicken breast, egg white, salt, and white pepper in a food processor. Blend until smooth. While the motor is running, slowly pour in the cold heavy cream until a smooth, emulsified paste forms. Fold in the chopped tarragon manually.
Transfer the chilled mousseline to a piping bag. Pipe the mixture into the cavity of each deboned chicken wing, filling them to about eighty percent capacity. Fold the overhanging skin to seal the opening.
Wrap each stuffed wing tightly in cling film, twisting the ends to form a taut cylinder. Poach in a pot of simmering water maintained at 75C/167F for 20 minutes to set the mousse gently and cook the chicken through to a safe internal temperature of 74C/165F.
Remove the wings from the water bath and carefully unwrap the cling film. Pat the wings completely dry using paper towels to ensure they crisp up evenly in the pan.
Heat grapeseed oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the dried wings and sear on all sides until the skin becomes crispy and deeply golden brown.
Pour the chicken jus into the pan with the wings. Allow it to reduce and bubble around the wings, turning them frequently so they are coated in a glossy glaze. Remove from heat and keep warm.
In a separate clean saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat until it foams. Add the cleaned girolles, crushed garlic, and thyme sprigs. Saute until the mushrooms are tender and lightly caramelized.
To plate, arrange a bed of sauteed girolles on each plate. Top with two glazed stuffed chicken wings. Garnish with drained pickled shallot rings to provide a sharp acidic contrast to the rich meat.
Chef's Notes
- Temperature control is the absolute key to a successful mousseline. Working over an ice bath when folding ingredients adds a layer of safety against breaking the emulsion.
- When deboning the wings, keep the tip of your knife pointed firmly against the bone. This protects the skin from tears, which would allow the filling to leak out.
- The pickling liquid can be reused or modified with different spices like coriander seeds or star anise for varied flavor profiles.
- If fresh girolles are unavailable, rehydrated dried chanterelles or a mix of premium wild mushrooms will provide the required earthy contrast.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Keep components separate. Stuffed wings can be poached and stored before searing.
Reheating: Reheat poached wings in an oven at 180C/350F until warm, then sear to crisp the skin.
Troubleshooting
Mousseline splits or appears grainy
Cause: Friction from the food processor heated the fat in the cream, causing the emulsion to break
Fix: Blend a spoonful of ice water into the mix to attempt re-emulsifying, but severe splits cannot be fully fixed
Prevention: Chill the food processor bowl and ensure chicken and cream are thoroughly refrigerated before blending
Skin shrinks and wings burst during cooking
Cause: Wings were overfilled with mousseline or poached at too high a temperature
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but the burst side can be placed face-down during plating
Prevention: Only fill cavities to eighty percent capacity and maintain water temperature below boiling
Chicken skin does not get crispy during the sear
Cause: Wings were too wet from poaching when placed into the hot oil
Fix: Keep pan searing longer, but avoid burning. Basting with hot oil can help
Prevention: Pat the wings meticulously dry with paper towels after removing the cling film
Cultural Context
The art of deboning and stuffing poultry is rooted in classical French gastronomy, often seen in ballotines and galantines. This technique transforms humble cuts like chicken wings into refined, textural centerpieces that contrast delicate mousse with crisp, perfectly rendered skin.
