Poached Chicken in Puffed Pastry with
Raspberry Wine Sauce
O.K. Friends and Neighbors,
Don't know what to do with that little bit of wine leftover from your latest
gig? Look no further! Get your loose pants on, say goodbye to Jenny Craig diets,
and hello to some gastronomic delights! Read on!
Four (4) chicken breasts, (approx 8 oz each), boneless and skinless
1/4 all purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter along with 3 tablespoons olive oil (using butter only is
easier to burn, using the combination gives a richer flavor and will not burn)
1 cup shallots, finely chopped (you can substitute with vidalia onion)
1/2 cup "Slowly I Turned Niagara" room temperature (you never want
to add a cold liquid to a hot pan - this will alter the consistency of sauce,
in addition to spraying hot liquid on you)
1 cup "Waskully Wraspberry" - room temperature
4 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1/2 chicken stock (never use boullion cubes!) - preference is College Inn (low
sodium)
1/2 cup heavy cream (or 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup sour cream for thicker
consistency)
3 tablespoons softened butter
1 small jar of seedless red raspberry jam (recipe calls for fresh raspberries,
but then you have to strain the seeds out - jam is alot easier and less friction
under the dentures)
1/4 teaspoon tarragon - ground
1/4 teaspoon thyme - ground
salt and pepper, to taste
2 packages puffed pastry sheets, thawed (you'll be cutting the sheets in half,
making 4 "pouches")
1/4 frozen raspberries (for garnish) - thawed
- Have an argument with your spouse, then run into
the kitchen, grab your cooking mallot or rolling pin, yell some choice words
(so that you have the last word), and beat the living daylights out of your
breasts (chicken, that is), but make sure you beat them evenly.
- Mix 1/4 flour, salt/pepper, tarragon and thyme together
- dredge chicken and tap off excess.
- Depending on the size of your skillet, spoon a small
amount at a time of oil and butter, enough to coat the bottom of the pan over
a low/medium heat. Do not rinse the skillet until your dish is completely
cooked (you don't want to loose any of the flavors from beginning to end -
and it saves on those dishpan hands!)
- Add your shallots and sweat them over a low/medium
heat, moving them around pan frequently ( if you saute the onion, the flavor
will overpower the raspberry taste). Cook the onions/shallots over low heat
for approximately 7-10 minutes. Remove from pan and keep off to side in covered
dish to stay warm.
And the definition of SWEAT is... (a) when mother-in-law announces that's
she'd moving in with you (b) getting something to drink in the middle of the
night from your bathroom, only to have your wife annouce to you the next morning
that she's pregnant, but can't find the test results to show you (c) cooking
vegetables at low heat without browning, so the flavor stays in the softened
vegetable, but does not alter the flavor of the oil or butter
- Turn up heat to medium - add chicken (add a little
more oil/butter, if needed. Lightly brown both sides, roughly three minutes
on each side (if thicker slice, allow a minute or two more). Remove and replace
uncooked chicken with cooked chicken until all pieces are browned. Here's
were you start "poaching" the chicken. Add Niagara wine to skillet,
submerging chicken half way. Bring to slight, low boil and "poach"
for approx. 4 minutes total. Repeat till all chicken is browned. Remove chicken
from skillet and return onions/shallots to skillet, add waskully wraspberry
wine, any left over niagara, and add cream, vinegar, and chicken stock, and
raspberry jam. Add a little of the softened butter at a time to sauce to smooth
it out. Increase heat to low boil, stirring so as not to burn. When all the
ingredients have been incorporated and to mixture is thickened, turn heat
to low and let it "rest" for 5 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees for puffed pastry - you'll
be following the directions on the side of the pastry box
- You should now have four puffed pastry pouches (two
oblong sheets, cut in half). Open pouches up and place poached chicken in
them, enough to cover bottom (middle) section. Place on cookie sheet (ungreased,
but you can use parchment paper or waxed paper for easier cleanup since sauce
will run out)
- Pour raspberry sauce mixture over chicken - enough
to just cover, not drown (you can dust with ground tarragon/thyme, if desired).
Fold other sides of puffed pastry over the center and seal all around edges
to enclose chicken in sauce.
- Bake in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until
golden brown. Pour another few tablespoons of raspberry sauce over the puffed
pastry and garnish with thawed frozen raspberries and fresh thyme (if desired).
Enjoy!
Wine Temptress
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