This balmoral chicken recipe is adapted from the Hairy Bikers — chicken breast stuffed with haggis, wrapped in jamon, and roasted until the jamon crisps and the haggis melts into the meat. A Scottish restaurant staple that appeared on hotel menus across Scotland long before it became fashionable, which is usually a good sign.

My version scales down for one and makes one straightforward substitution: jamon in place of smoked streaky bacon. It crisps better in the oven, it's what I have in Andalucía, and it brings a depth of flavour the original deserves. The haggis came from the freezer — leftover from Burns Night, which is exactly the kind of detail Agnes Isabella would have approved of.

A tablespoon of whisky goes into the pocket alongside the haggis. I don't drink whisky. A tablespoon in cooking is a different matter entirely.

Balmoral Chicken Recipe — What Makes It Scottish

Haggis-stuffed chicken is the defining feature of a proper balmoral chicken recipe — the haggis softens as it cooks, the fat from the oats and offal seeping into the breast and keeping it moist from the inside. The jamon wrapper does the same job from the outside. There is no dry chicken in this recipe.

The name comes from Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire — the Scottish royal residence — and the dish has been a fixture of Scottish hotel cooking ever since. It is not complicated. It is very good.

A Note on the Sauce

The Hairy Bikers serve their balmoral chicken with a whisky cream sauce — rich, indulgent, and entirely appropriate if you are cooking for a table. For one, on a weekday evening in Andalucía, I use my chicken gravy from the Gravy Collection instead. Proper gravy. No apology.

If you want the whisky cream sauce: a splash of whisky into a pan with double cream and a little chicken stock, reduce until it coats a spoon, season carefully. It's very good. So is the gravy.

Balmoral Chicken Recipe — Ingredients and Method

Adapted from the Hairy Bikers. Serves 1.

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 50g haggis
• 2–3 slices jamon (or smoked streaky bacon)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• Pinch of sea salt
• ¼ tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp whisky
• Lemon wedge, to serve
• Chicken gravy, to serve — or a whisky cream sauce if the occasion demands it

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan).
2. Make a deep pocket in the chicken breast by cutting horizontally through the thickest part, without cutting all the way through.
3. Push the haggis firmly into the pocket. Add the tablespoon of whisky into the cavity alongside.
4. Season the outside of the chicken with black pepper, sea salt, and thyme. Rub with the olive oil.
5. Wrap the jamon slices around the breast, overlapping slightly to hold the pocket closed.
6. Place in a small roasting tin and cook for 25–30 minutes until the jamon is crisp and the chicken is cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes.
7. Serve with a lemon wedge and a good chicken gravy — or a whisky cream sauce if the occasion demands it.

This Balmoral chicken recipe is featured in my Scottish Recipes collection — traditional Scottish recipes from Agnes Isabella's kitchen and beyond.
This recipe is also featured in my Chicken Recipes Hub, a collection of chicken dishes from Casa Adora and the road.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef