Ingredients
Units
Scale
- For the chicken:
- 2 lbs. skinless boneless chicken breasts
- ***
- The Hirshon Spiced Flour Blend (can be made 1 day in advance, but best made and used immediately):
- 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. dried wild ramps, crushed to a powder (can substitute garlic or onion powder, if you must)
- 1 1/2 tsp. Knorr Aromat
- 1 tsp. Herbes de Provence
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground star anise
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ***
- 2 Tbsp. salted butter (KerryGold, or ideally high butterfat butter - 83%)
- 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 Tbsp. edible mustard oil (can substitute olive oil, if preferred - but do NOT substitute other mustard oils, as they can potentially be toxic if ingested)
- ***
- For the Mustard Cream Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup dry white Noilly Prat vermouth (preferred) or dry Burgundy white wine
- 1 1/2 cups homemade (preferred) or low-salt chicken broth
- 2 tsp. chicken demi-glace (the demi-glace is optional, but strongly recommended)
- 2 medium bay leaves, preferably fresh
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 dashes Maggi seasoning
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. grainy Dijon mustard (TFD prefers Edmond Fallon brand)
- 1 Tbsp. smooth Dijon mustard (TFD strongly prefers Edmond Fallon brand), or just use Dijon grainy mustard, or even a combo of both, as to your taste
- 1 tsp. potato starch (preferred) or corn starch
- ***
- snipped fresh dill or fresh tarragon (more authentic) for garnish - if you want to get fancy (I usually do) you can also add crushed dried thyme flowers and snipped fresh chervil as well
Instructions
- For the chicken: combine the spiced flour blend in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally. To do this, lay the breasts out on a work surface, then place your non-dominant hand on the top and slice horizontally halfway through the meat (to create two thin cutlets) with your dominant hand.
- Lay the chicken breasts out in a single layer on the work surface and sprinkle on both sides with the spiced flour blend.
- In a large cast iron, heavy-duty skillet or shallow brazier, melt the butter with the olive and mustard oils over medium heat until starting to sizzle a bit,
- Add the chicken breasts, smooth sides down and cook for 4-6 minutes or until the underside is golden (if the breasts are thicker go for 5-6 minutes if thin, 4-5 should be good).
- Flip the breasts to the opposite side and cook for another 1 minute. (The chicken will not be completely cooked at this time but will finish cooking later.) Transfer to a clean plate and cover loosely with foil.
- For the mustard cream sauce: add the chopped shallots to the pan and sauté over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, stirring frequently and scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook at a rapid boil or until most of the wine has evaporated.
- Add the chicken broth, demi-glace, and bay leaves and bring the mixture to a steady low boil. Cook, uncovered for 8 minutes.
- While the broth is cooking, combine the cream, mustard, Maggi and starch – stir vigorously with a fork until nice and smooth. This next step is totally optional, but if you like a really smooth sauce, you can strain it through a fine mesh strainer at this point, pushing on the solids until all the liquid is removed. Discard the solids, return the sauce to the pan and bring it to a boil then proceed as directed.
- Add the cream mixture to the simmering sauce and any juice that has accumulated on the plate with the chicken. Stir until well combined. Bring back to a boil then reduce to a slow simmer over low heat.
- Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the bay leaves and discard them. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- Add the chicken back to the pan, cover the pan tightly and turn off the heat. Allow the chicken to sit, undisturbed for 5 minutes.
- Plate the chicken, drizzle with the sauce. Garnish with herb(s) and serve immediately with mashed potatoes, steamed rice or your preferred side(s) – but make it something that can really soak up that delicious sauce!Pass extra sauce at the table.