Rolled chicken roast with Sicilian stuffing

Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional oven/ 180°C fan-forced (400° Fahrenheit/Gas 6). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Place the sultanas in a small bowl and cover with 1 cup of water. Set aside for the sultanas to soften for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the red onion in half. Finely chop ½ of the red onion for the stuffing. Set aside the remaining ½ onion to place in the roasting tray with chicken and vegetables.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped red onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft (approximately 4 minutes). Set aside to cool.

To make the Sicilian stuffing, place the breadcrumbs, sage, remaining olive oil (6 tablespoons) and orange zest into a medium-sized bowl. Break up the sausage meat with your hands and add it to the bowl. Drain the sultanas and add to the bowl together with the cooked onion. Use clean hands (or you may wish to use disposable gloves) to mix until the sausage filling is well combined. Add extra olive oil if required to make the stuffing combine.

Roughly chop the remaining red onion, carrot and celery. Place the vegetables into the prepared baking tray.

Line a clean work surface with cling film (plastic wrap). Line 5 kitchen strings along the cling film (each string approximately 50cm long). Arrange the chicken fillet slices on top of the strings, overlapping slightly. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Spoon the Sicilian filling evenly over the breast fillet leaving a 2cm border around the edges. Use the cling film to roll up the chicken tightly to enclose the filling. Use kitchen string to tie the chicken at 5cm intervals. Secure the ends with toothpicks.

Transfer the chicken to the prepared baking tray on top of the vegetables. Pour the chicken stock over the chicken. Roast for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven.

Turn the chicken over, pour the white wine over the chicken and baste with pan juices. Cook, for a further 20 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a serving dish and set aside to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile to make a gravy, strain the pan juices into a small saucepan. Add the flour and the Marsala (or other fortified wine of your choosing). Cook, stirring with a whisk, for 1 minute over medium heat. Reduce the cooking liquid over medium heat until it reaches a thick and rich gravy consistency. Pour into a gravy boat – buon appetito.