I was recently gifted some of my favourite black pudding from home (Kelly's of Newport) so naturally I had to come up with various ways of using it other than in a good old full Irish breakfast. This recipe pairs the classic flavours of black pudding and apple in the cider sauce and also reminiscent of chicken normande too. This recipe will also work well with Dutch bloedworst, Spanish morcilla or French boudin noir. 

50g black pudding (you can also use bloedworst or boudin noir)
30g red onion finely chopped
2 chicken thighs skinned and bone removed
30g butter
Salt and pepper
5g dijon mustard
10ml creme fraiche
150ml cider (my preference is a French brut or English off dry cider)
3 sprigs thyme

In a pan on a low heat fry the onion off in 10g of  the butter until soft and glossy, place to one side and allow to cool
Flatten out the chicken thighs using a rolling pin, this makes them easier to fill and roll
In a bowl mash the cooled onion and black pudding together with a fork
Place around 15g of the black pudding mix in the centre of each chicken thigh and spread it out 
Roll the thigh into a cylinder, you can either tie it in place using butchers twine or wrap in cling film and roll tightly
Place in the fridge to firm up for a couple of hours
Add the rest of the butter to a pan and fry off the chicken thighs (if you have used cling film make sure you have removed it) on all sides to get some colour
Add the cider and the thyme to the pan
Place the pan in an oven at 180c (fan) 190c (normal) and cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until the centre reaches a core temp of 71c
If cooking this on the BBQ, set it up for indirect cooking at 190c and use a cast iron pan, cook for the same length of time as above, you can also use applewood chips
Once cooked place the chicken thighs to one side to rest and start to make the sauce in the pan they were cooked in 
Place the pan on the hob and reduce the cooking juices by half, turn the heat down and add the dijon and creme fraiche stir through using a whisk to break up any lumps
Slice the chicken thighs and serve with the sauce