poultry - chicken, wine, juniper
t=teaspoon T=tablespoon + -=more or less
These recipes are for your personal use only and may not be added in any form to archives or other works.
Chicken Breasts with Wine and Juniper Sauce
Succulent chicken breasts cooked in a wine and juniper sauce. The surprise basis for the sauce is pureed cooked carrot, the second key is the dried porcini andlastly, the crème fraîche is important to round all the flavours. The aromatic juniper berries are the secret to the finely balanced flavours. Simply delicious, serve with Steamed Spinach Dumplings.
serves 2
2 deboned chicken breasts with skin
2 T. butter
a little olive oil
2 medium carrots
1 sm. shallot or other mild onion
1 sm. garlic clove
+-3 slices of dried porcini or about 2 T. mushroom powder
4 T. chicken stock
4 T. rosé or white wine
6 juniper berries
2 t. crème fraîche
salt, pepper
Melt the butter with a little olive oil n a heavy pan. Lay the chicken breasts skin side down and fry over medium heat until golden. Turn and fry for 5 minutes.
Peel the shallot and cut into half. Clean the carrots, cut into thick rings and drop with the shallot into just enough boiling, slightly salted water to barely cover. Cook until tender. Discard the shallot..
Grind the dried porcini (or place between cling film and pound) until fine. Set aside.
Puree the carrots with the minced garlic, a little salt and pepper, the stock, wine, porcini powder and 3 juniper berries. It should resemble a thick sauce. If it seems too thick, add a little more stock.
Wipe out the frying pan, lay the chicken breasts skin side up, cover with the sauce, add the remaining juniper berries and bring to a simmer for a minute. Cover and lower heat. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until the chicken breasts are just cooked. Baste once or twice with the juices. Do NOT over cook.
Gently move off the sauce from the chicken and remove to a warm serving dish. Tilt the pan and whisk in the crème fraîche. Gently reheat until bubbling and pour over the chicken breasts. Serve immediately or cover and keep warm in the oven.
Note: I use the nut/hard cheese grinder attachment that comes with my immersion blender for the small jobs like reducing dried porcini to a powder for sauces etc. You can, however also soak the mushrooms in a little warm stock for 30 minutes. Remove, chop very finely and add along with the soaking stock to the other ingredients before you puree all.
Serve these with my Spinach Dumplings and pasta tossed in butter and parmesan, a rice or potato side dish...and of course, chilled rosé or white wine.
Tip: prepare the spinach mass in advance. Just stir in the egg while the chicken is frying. Drop the dumplings into the steamer once the chicken is covered with the sauce and is cooking. They will be done at the same time. I cook mine in the steamer set on top of the salted, boiling water for the pasta. Allow to cook a few minutes covered to give them a head start, then add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until pasta is done (partially cover the dumplings and lower heat to prevent boil over).
All recipes are excerpts from "Welcome to My Kitchen" - The Epicurean Table and are copyright of the author. Recipes are not to be
added to any form of archive or other works of any kind. Contact the author for further information.
The Epicurean Table © 1999-2003 Patricia Conant