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Poussins with Sherry, Raisins, and Pine Nuts

Ready in 50 mins

Recipe by Graham 

One of my favourites, poussins are great when you invite friends round for a meal, and no hassle to cook. This recipe is good with couscous or small olive-roasted potatoes.

Poussins are small, immature chickens, sometimes called spring chickens They weigh about 400 to 500g (about 1 lb). Because the bird is only four to six weeks old, the flavour has not developed and there is not much flesh on the bones, but one bird is perfect for a single serving, and served using this recipe, the flavours will immeditely develop.

Preparation Time

5 Minutes

Cooking Time

45 Minutes

Ingredients for Poussins with Sherry, Raisins, and Pine Nuts

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4:

3 oz raisins
14 fl oz medium sherry
4 poussins (about 1lb each)
  olive oil
  salt & freshly-ground black pepper
1 oz toasted pine nuts

How to Cook Poussins with Sherry, Raisins, and Pine Nuts

  1. Place the raisins in a small pan along with half the sherry. Bring to the boil then remove from the heat.
  2. After washing them, place the poussins in a roasting tin or a broad, shallow ovenproof dish. Drizzle olive oil over each bird and season generously with salt a freshly-ground black pepper. Place in the middle of a preheated moderately hot oven (Mk 6 - 400°F - 200°C).
  3. After 20 minutes add the unused half of the sherry.
  4. After a further 10 minutes, add the raisins and the sherry that they have been soaking in. By this stage, the raisins will have plumped up quite a lot.
  5. 15 minutes later (after total cooking of 45 minutes) check the birds for doneness. They should still be moist and the juices that run when pierced between the leg and the rest of the body should be clear. If there is any trace of pinkness, cook for a few more minutes and check again.
  6. Transfer the poussins to a warm serving dish and spoon the cooking juices and raisins around and over them. Scatter with pine nuts.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
Try to find a dish into which the birds sit snugly together since, if there is a lot of space between them, the juices will evaporate.
 
GRAHAM'S WINE RECOMMENDATION:
Poussins are a light meat, so it won't surprise you to learn that white wine is generally a more flexible match, with smooth dry whites like Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay being the best choice