Spherified Chicken Mosaic
An eye-catching molecular gastronomy appetizer: tiny, jewel-like dice of chicken and vegetables are suspended in seasoned stock, then encapsulated in ...
4 servings (8 spheres)
Modernist (Molecular Gastronomy) Cuisine
🔴Expert★★★★★
Jun 19, 2025
71 views
Ingredients
🥩
200 g
boneless skinless chicken breast
trimmed of sinew
🥩
40 g
green beans
strings removed, cut into 2 mm dice, blanched
🥬
50 g
carrot
cut into 2 mm dice, blanched
🥩
120 ml
low-sodium chicken stock
chilled
🥬
40 g
red bell pepper
cut into 2 mm dice, blanched
💧
1000 ml
ice water
for the alginate bath
💧
8 ml
white soy sauce
📦
12 pieces
micro shiso leaves
for garnish (optional)
🫒
1 as needed
neutral oil spray
for greasing molds
📦
4 g
sodium alginate
🥬
2 ml
fresh ginger juice
🫒
2 ml
toasted sesame oil
🌶️
2 g
fine sea salt
📦
3 g
calcium lactate
📦
1 g
granulated sugar
Categories:🥩protein🥬vegetable🍎fruit🌾grain🥛dairy🌶️spice🫒oil💧liquid📦other
Instructions
Step 1
Prepare the sodium alginate bath: In a high-speed blender combine sodium alginate with 250 ml of the ice water; blend for 1 minute until no visible grains remain. Transfer to a deep container, add the remaining ice water, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow air bubbles to rise and the alginate to fully hydrate—this ensures a perfectly clear bath.
Step 2
Season the boneless skinless chicken breast evenly with half of the fine sea salt, vacuum-seal, and cook sous-vide at 60 °C for 1 hour. The gentle temperature keeps the meat juicy while reaching pasteurization. Immediately chill in an ice bath, then pat dry and cut into precise 2 mm dice for a clean mosaic pattern.
Step 3
Refresh the prepared carrot, green beans, and red bell pepper in ice water after blanching, then drain and blot dry. Removing excess moisture prevents dilution of flavor and helps the mosaic hold together.
Step 4
Create the mosaic filling: In a chilled bowl combine the diced chicken, carrot, green beans, and red bell pepper. Add low-sodium chicken stock, white soy sauce, fresh ginger juice, toasted sesame oil, granulated sugar, the remaining fine sea salt, and calcium lactate. Stir gently until the calcium lactate is completely dissolved; this calcium source is essential for reverse spherification to occur later.
Step 5
Cast the filling: Lightly mist silicone half-sphere molds (3 cm diameter) with neutral oil spray to aid release. Spoon the mosaic filling into each cavity, tapping the mold to eliminate air pockets so the finished sphere reads as a seamless collage. Freeze for about 1 hour, just until firm enough to unmold without distortion—working from frozen makes handling easier and limits calcium migration that could prematurely gel the exterior.
Step 6
Form full spheres: Unmold the frozen half-spheres and press two halves together, warming the flat faces briefly with your palm so they fuse into perfect spheres. Smooth any visible seam with a gloved finger for a pristine finish.
Step 7
Reverse-spherify: Gently lower the frozen spheres into the sodium alginate bath. Stir the bath slowly in a figure-eight so they float freely and don’t stick. After 3 minutes a 1–2 mm pliable membrane will have formed—test by lifting one with a slotted spoon; it should hold shape yet wobble like a soft-boiled egg.
Step 8
Rinse and hold: Transfer the spheres to a bowl of clean, room-temperature water to halt further gelling. After 1 minute move them to a second clean water bath. They can rest here for up to 15 minutes while you finalize plating.
Step 9
Serve: Place two spheres per diner in a shallow, pre-warmed bowl. Allow them to thaw for 10 minutes so the center returns to a tender, juicy texture. Ladle a tablespoon of gently heated low-sodium chicken stock around each sphere for sheen, top with micro shiso leaves, and serve immediately—the thin membrane will burst with a light press of the spoon, releasing the vibrant chicken mosaic.
✨Chef's Tips
- ★Hydrate sodium alginate in a blender—it disperses faster under shear, preventing clumps that otherwise take hours to dissolve.
- ★Keeping the mosaic mixture and molds cold slows calcium diffusion; if the mixture warms too much before freezing, you risk an unevenly thick membrane later.
- ★Sous-vide chicken at 60 °C (140 °F) strikes the sweet spot between food safety and tenderness; higher temperatures force out moisture and make for a mealy dice that distracts from the dish’s silky mouthfeel.
- ★If you lack silicone half-sphere molds, freeze the mosaic in small hemispheres made with a Parisian scoop (melon baller) lined with plastic wrap—consistency of size is crucial so all spheres gel uniformly.
- ★For wine pairing, serve a lightly chilled Pouilly-Fumé: its minerality complements the delicate chicken while the gentle acidity cuts through the sesame oil’s richness without overpowering the subtle alginate membrane.
spherificationchickenmolecular gastronomymodernistappetizer