Chicken and pancetta party skewers on a wooden board

Chicken & pancetta party skewers

Name: Chicken & pancetta party skewers
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: SKEWERS; 1 bunch of rosemary (20g); 3 cloves of garlic; 3 fresh bay leaves; olive oil; 3 clementines; red wine vinegar; 1 teaspoon mixed spice; 400g free-range chicken thighs, skin off, bone out; 3 slices of higher-welfare pancetta; 3 higher-welfare pork sausages; 250g chestnut mushrooms; 1 red onion; 12 dried apricots; 12 prunes; POLENTA; 400g coarse polenta; 100g Parmesan cheese; 100g unsalted butter

with creamy polenta

50 mins

Not Too Tricky

serves 12

About the recipe

These festive chicken and pancetta skewers, served up with luxuriously creamy polenta, will get your guests in the party spirit.

nutrition per serving

Calories

14%

Fat

25%

Saturates

42%

Sugars

11%

Salt

22%

Protein

29%

Carbs

Fibre

of an adult’s reference intake

Recipe From

Jamie Cooks Christmas

By Jamie Oliver

FIND OUT MORE

Ingredients

SKEWERS

1 bunch of rosemary (20g)

3 cloves of garlic

3 fresh bay leaves

olive oil

3 clementines

red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon mixed spice

400g free-range chicken thighs, skin off, bone out

3 slices of higher-welfare pancetta

3 higher-welfare pork sausages

250g chestnut mushrooms

1 red onion

12 dried apricots

12 prunes

POLENTA

400g coarse polenta

100g Parmesan cheese

100g unsalted butter

Top Tip

Long woody rosemary sprigs are a great substitute for regular wooden skewers. To prepare them, pick most of the leaves off the rosemary sprigs but leave the ones at the top intact. Cut the bottom of each sprig into a sharp point, then you’re ready to go.

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Soak 12 wooden skewers or long woody rosemary sprigs (see tip) in cold water before you use them – this will prevent them from catching in the oven.
Strip the leaves from the bunch of rosemary into a pestle and mortar, peel and add the garlic, then bash to a paste with the bay and a generous pinch of sea salt. Muddle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the clementine juice, a swig of vinegar and the mixed spice. Transfer to a large bowl.
Halve the chicken thighs and pancetta across the middle, cut the sausages into 1-inch chunks, halve the mushrooms, then peel and quarter the red onion, breaking it up into petals. Add to the bowl, along with the apricots, prunes and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Toss well to coat.
Divide and thread the ingredients onto the soaked skewers, folding and interlacing the pancetta and chicken – be careful not to pack them too tightly. Place on a baking tray and put in the oven for 30 minutes, or until golden, gnarly and cooked through, turning halfway.
To make the polenta, bring 2 litres of salted water to the boil over a medium heat, gradually add the coarse polenta, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer gently for 40 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon. The polenta is ready when it comes easily away from the edge of the pan – you want a thick consistency.
Turn the heat off, finely grate the Parmesan and stir in with the butter. If your polenta thickens too much, add splashes of boiling water to loosen it to the consistency you like. Taste, season to perfection with salt and pepper, then transfer to a serving platter or board, top with the skewers and serve straightaway. Delicious with my Hasselback root veg.

To prepare the polenta in advance, simply place the finished polenta in a heatproof bowl, cover, then sit it over very gently simmering water, where it will keep warm very happily for up to 2 hours, without compromise.

Tags

Chicken Christmas Winter Dinner Party

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