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Chicken with Morels

Source of Recipe

From "Barefoot in Paris" by Ina Garten


Recipe Introduction

"In autumn, the street markets in Paris always offer so many fresh wild mushrooms for sale that I'm overwhelmed trying to choose. Morels have lots of flavor and the dried ones we can find here in a specialty food store are just as good as the fresh ones. My friend Anna Pump, who is the master of the simple, elegant recipe, has this dish in her wonderful book, The Loaves and Fishes Cookbook. I make it in advance and reheat it before dinner."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 ounce dried morels, soaked for 30 minutes in 3 cups very hot water
â—¦ 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
â—¦ Kosher salt
â—¦ Freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ All-purpose flour, for dredging
â—¦ ¼ cup clarified butter
â—¦ â…“ cup chopped shallots (2 large)
â—¦ 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
â—¦ 1 cup Madeira wine
â—¦ 1 cup (8 ounces) crème fraîche
â—¦ 1 cup heavy cream
â—¦ 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Lift the morels carefully from the hot water in order to leave any grit behind in the liquid. Rinse a few times to be sure all the grittiness is gone. Discard the liquid and dry the morels lightly with paper towels. Set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge them in flour and shake off the excess. Heat half the clarified butter in large sauté pan and cook the chicken in 2 batches over medium-low heat until browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to an ovenproof casserole.

Add the rest of the clarified butter to the pan along with the shallots, drained morels, and garlic. Sauté over medium heat for 2 minutes, tossing and stirring constantly. Pour the Madeira into the pan and reduce the liquid by half over high heat, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the crème fraîche, cream, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Boil until mixture starts to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 12 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through.

Serves 6



• To clarify the butter, melt it in a saucepan over low heat. Remove the white foam that comes to the surface, then allow the butter to sit at room temperature until the milk solids sink to the bottom. Pour off the golden liquid and discard the white sediment.