Pierce the surface of the chicken breast repeatedly with a fork.

In a medium pot, add chicken breast, lemon peel, and enough water to cover. Boil for 25 minutes. Drain and let the chicken cool, covered, until cool enough to handle. Use an electric hand mixer to break up the chicken until it is in thin shreds. Then pound out the chicken with a meat tenderizer or other heavy object to ensure the chicken is in fine pieces.

Add enough cold water to submerge the chicken and store in the fridge. After 30-45 minutes, drain and squeeze out the water. Add fresh cold water and repeat the process 1-2 more times until the chicken smell is gone. Store in the fridge overnight.

The next day, strain the chicken and use a cheesecloth to squeeze out any excess water. Add milk, lemon zest, and cinnamon stick. Set aside in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

In a medium pot over medium heat, add half of the milk with the rice flour, cornstarch, and sugar. Whisk to combine and bring to a simmer. Add the rest of the milk and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture thickens to your desired consistency. Add vanilla extract and the scraped insides of a vanilla bean, if desired.

Strain the chicken and pick out any cinnamon stick or zest pieces. While the pudding simmers, add the strained chicken and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from the stove and use an electric mixer to mix for 10-15 minutes to ensure the mixture is smooth. If you still have large chicken pieces, use an immersion blender to blend it smooth. Set aside ¼ cup of prepared pudding.

In a 12 x 7 flameproof* baking dish, grease the bottom and sides with butter. Sift powdered sugar evenly on top. Place on the stovetop over medium heat. Once it begins to brown, add the ¼ cup of prepared pudding and use a spatula or bench scraper to spread the pudding in an even layer, rotating the baking dish while cooking so that the sugar doesn’t burn. Cook until the pudding has turned brown and caramelized. Immediately place the dish over ice water to stop the cooking process. Add the rest of the chicken pudding, spreading into an even layer on top, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or better, overnight).

To serve, slice the pudding into 8 equal pieces. Use spatula to remove the portions and serve with caramelized bottom side facing up. Top generously with ground cinnamon and crushed hazelnuts, if desired.

Bon appetit!