Chicken Picardy with Dill Sauce
Submitted by gloriam7
Elegant French chicken Picardy: flattened breasts rolled with spinach, leeks, mushrooms, and shallots, baked en papillote in white wine broth, then sliced over a silky dill sauce.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
40 minThis is the kind of dish that makes people think you went to culinary school.
Flattened whole chicken breasts get layered with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, shallots, and tender leek greens, splashed with white wine, then rolled up tight in foil parcels.
They bake gently in a bath of chicken stock, steaming from the inside out, keeping every bite impossibly moist.
Slice the rolls into elegant rounds, lay them over a pool of dill sauce, and garnish with buttery sautéed leeks. C’est magnifique.
Chef Tips
- Pound the chicken breasts evenly between sheets of waxed paper. Thin, uniform thickness means they roll without cracking.
- Soak and rinse your leeks thoroughly. Sand hides in every layer and nothing ruins a fancy dish like gritty vegetables.
- Seal the foil packets tight. The steam trapped inside is what keeps the chicken so tender and juicy.
- Sauté the spinach-mushroom mixture for only about 30 seconds. You want it barely wilted, not cooked through, since it finishes in the oven.
Ingredients
Directions
TO PREPARE CHICKEN PICARDY: Pre-heat oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Prepare eight squares of aluminum foil by cutting foil into sheets (6” x 6") and buttering them lightly on the shiny side.
Bone and skin chicken breasts.
DO NOT HALVE. Flatten breasts between sheets of waxed paper with knife edge and place each breast on a square of foil. Soak leeks. Separate and rinse well under running water to remove sand. Finely slice green portion, allotting ½ green portion of a leek to each breast. Chop mushrooms, spinach leaves, and shallots, allowing 2 mushrooms per portion. Sauté this mixture very briefly (about 30 seconds) in a little butter over medium heat. Place ¼ of mixture on each breast. Splash about 1 ounce white wine over each breast, salt and pepper to taste, and roll up each breast. Seal each breast in an aluminum foil square. Fold ends tightly to seal. Place prepared chicken into a baking pan filled with 2 or 3 inches of chicken stock and bake in a pre-heated oven for 25 minutes. Sauté cup of sliced leeks in butter over medium heat. TO SERVE: Unwrap chicken breasts and slice into ¼ inch rounds. Pour a portion of Dill Sauce on a plate. Lay chicken rounds over sauce and garnish with sautéed leek slices and serve.
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