Fast easy chicken breast recipe

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Fast easy chicken breast recipe

Spinach-stuffed chicken breast with mushroom sauce

January 24, 2001

This recipe from Gourmet magazine executive chef Sara Moulton looks complicated, but that's mainly because of its length--Moulton explains her recommended cooking techniques in exhaustive detail. (Admittedly, there are, indeed, many steps.) In addition, we'll venture to say that if you'd like a lower-fat version of this dish, you could eliminate the chicken skin--just cut a pocket in the breasts with a paring knife and carefully insert the stuffing. Also, Friedman notes that when Moulton demonstrated this dish on CBS's "Saturday Early Show," budget constraints forced her to eliminate fennel seed from the recipe. (If you can afford it, toss about a tablespoon into the stuffing.) Regarding the ingredient arrowroot: This is a thickening agent, not unlike cornstarch or flour. If you prefer to use flour, it works fine, but you'll need 2 tablespoons.

Makes 4 servings

1 whole boneless (but not skinless) chicken breast or 2 boneless halves, about 3/4 to 1 pound total
1-1/2 tablespoons crushed ice
3 tablespoons heavy cream, well chilled
8 ounces fresh spinach leaves, cooked, squeezed dry, chopped and firmly packed to measure 1/4 cup
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon arrowroot dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
8 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed, wiped clean with a damp cloth or paper towel, and thinly sliced
3/4 cup canned chicken broth

1. Arrange the chicken breasts, skin side down, on a dry and impeccably clean cutting board. Making sure that the skin is evenly stretched over the breast, cut the breast in half. Remove the fillet strip form each breast and remove the white tendon. Set the breasts aside.

2. In a food processor, grind the fillet strips to a fine paste. Add the ice and pulse until the ice is absorbed. With the processor motor running, add the cream, spinach, salt, lemon zest, nutmeg and pepper. Blend the filling well, scraping down the sides to ensure that all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

3. Place the breast, skin side up, on your work surface. Beginning at the pointed end, pull the skins back carefully, leaving the thin, transparent membranes attached along the side and ensuring that the skin remains attached at the opposite end.

4. Using a rubber spatula, spread 3 tablespoons of the spinach filling evenly over each breast, smoothing it to cover the breast. Stretch the skin back over each breast, smoothing and stretching it over the filling to cover and seal it. Reserve the remaining spinach filling for another use.

5. Tightly wrap the breasts separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. The chicken may be prepared up to this point 24 hours in advance and kept covered and chilled.

6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

7. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the chicken, skin side down, to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Saute the chicken for 1 to 2 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Turn the breast skin side up, cover, and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

8. Transfer the chicken to a clean and dry cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let the chicken stand for about 5 minutes.

9. To make the sauce: Stir the arrowroot to be sure it is dissolved.

10. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the chicken fat from the skillet. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and saute over moderate heat until the liquid they give off is evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth to the skillet, raise the heat, bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute. Whisk the arrowroot mixture into the mushroom sauce in the pan. Continue to whisk for 1 minute until the sauce is smooth. Remove from the heat, adjust the seasonings if necessary, and cover to keep warm.

11. Holding a knife at a 45-degree angle, slice the chicken crosswise and arrange the slices, overlapping them slightly, on 4 warmed dinner plates. Spoon some of the sauce around the chicken and serve the remaining mushroom sauce on the side in a sauce boat.

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