Cuban recipe

Chicken galantine with ham and petit pois

Name: Chicken galantine with ham and petit pois
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 710 min
Ingredients: 1.2 kg boned chicken with skin (from a whole chicken weighing about 2 kg); 150 g chicken meat from the inside (from the same chicken, not additional chicken); 250 g lean pork; 50 g bacon; 100 g frozen petit pois; 150 g diced cooked ham; 1 egg; 30 g breadcrumbs; 60 ml milk; ½ teaspoon pepper; Salt, up to 4 g in total; 2.5 liters low-salt chicken broth; 150 ml dry white wine; 1 bay leaf; Kitchen twine or food-grade netting expressly suitable for boiling

Chicken rolls filled with pork, ham and petit pois, cooked in broth and served cold in slices. A Christmas Eve starter.

CiberCubaNovember 11, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation50 min
Cooking1 h 50 min
Total time11 h 50 min
Servings8 starter servings (about 16 slices)
DifficultyAdvanced

Galantine is a dish of boned chicken that is stuffed, tied into a roll, cooked in broth and served cold in slices. This version is a home adaptation inspired by the galantine in Delicias de la Mesa, by María Antonieta Reyes Gavilán y Moenck, published in Havana in 1925.

The metric quantities, precooking of the filling and rapid chilling in the refrigerator have been adapted for today's kitchen. The diced ham and petit pois add color to the slices, making this an attractive starter for Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve.

Prepare it ahead: the filling is cooked and chilled before assembly, and the galantine needs at least 8 hours in the refrigerator before slicing. It is best made the day before.

Method

Prepare the chicken

Ask for the chicken to be boned with the skin left on and divided to form two medium rolls, which cook and chill more evenly. Keep it refrigerated until ready to use.
Set aside 150 g of meat from the inside for the filling, leaving the rest attached to the skin. Those 150 g come from the same chicken, not additional chicken.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Make the filling

Gently brown the bacon in a skillet. Add the pork and the reserved 150 g of chicken, chopped into small pieces, and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken reaches 74 °C. Add the petit pois for the last 3 minutes.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Transfer the mixture to a shallow container and refrigerate immediately until thoroughly chilled (approximately 1 hour).
Finely chop the chilled mixture and combine it with the ham, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, pepper and salt. Mix until the filling holds together.

Assemble and tie

Assemble just before cooking: spread the filling over the two opened pieces of chicken, roll them up with the skin on the outside, and tie with kitchen twine or food-grade netting suitable for boiling.

Cook

Heat the broth, wine and bay leaf in a pot sized to fit the rolls. Add the rolls so they are covered by the liquid and keep at a very gentle simmer for about 75-90 minutes.
Check with a thermometer that the center of the filling and the meat reach 74 °C. If not, continue cooking: doneness takes priority over time.

Chill and serve

Remove the rolls and let them rest for only 10 minutes. Cut each one into two pieces so they chill more effectively, place them separately in shallow containers and refrigerate immediately (4 °C or below), without waiting for them to cool on the counter. Chill for at least 8 hours. Do not press them at room temperature.
Remove the twine or netting and cut into slices about 1.5 cm thick. Serve cold.

Tips and variations

Traditional recipe and proposed variation. The basic preparation (boned chicken stuffed, cooked in broth and served cold) comes from the 1925 Cuban cookbook. The metric quantities, precooked filling, temperature check and rapid chilling in the refrigerator are a home adaptation in this recipe, not from the book.

Doneness takes priority over the clock. The 75-90 minutes are a guide: what matters is that the center of the filling and the meat reach 74 °C. If they have not reached that temperature, continue cooking at a very gentle simmer.

Salt. Use up to 4 g and adjust according to how salty the ham and broth are; this is why the broth should be low in salt.

Tying. Use kitchen twine or food-grade netting expressly suitable for boiling; never use household fabrics or ordinary plastic.

Safe chilling. After the 10-minute rest, cut each roll into two pieces, place them separately in shallow containers and refrigerate immediately (4 °C or below). Do not let them cool completely on the counter or press them at room temperature.

Storage. Keep refrigerated and consume within 3-4 days. Slice just before serving.