CHICKEN ANDALOUSE
CHICKEN ANDALOUSE
1st Chakra
There is nothing better for grounding the body and spirit that rich, earthy foods. This dish is both heady and light, the aromatic bite of the shallots and tarragon beautifully contrast to the fresh tang of the tomato pulp. And if you flambé it with the optional cognac, presentation is both dramatic and simple. I first discovered version of this watching reruns of the French Chef in college, and have made it regularly ever since. Tarragon is a wonderful herb, tasting slightly of anise, and somewhat underappreciated in America. Use fresh leaves if possible.
Sarah is not a fan of anything with cream sauce, so occasionally I will leave it out; increase the amounts of wine and stock slightly; the sauce should end up nicely coating the back of a spoon.
4 chicken breasts, skin on, about a pound
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, minced approximately 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped, or 2 tsps dried. (see note below)
½ cup chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and juiced, yielding about 1 cup of fresh pulp
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
Wash and dry the chicken breasts. Lay the chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap, and using the flat side of a meat pounder, a rolling pin or a wine bottle, pound the breasts until they are a uniform ½ inch thick. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Core the tomatoes, by inserting the tip of a paring knife in the stem end (the green part) and rotating it remove the tough bit. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for up to 30 seconds, less if the tomatoes are super fresh and tender. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon, and either plunge briefly in ice water or allow to cool on the counter for several minutes. The skin should come off easily with your fingers, or peel away with a paring knife. Slice the tomatoes in half across the middle, revealing the chambers, which hold the seeds. Scoop these out with your fingers, or simply squeeze the tomato halves to release them. Roughly chop the tomato flesh into about a ½ inch dice. Set aside.
In a large skillet or heavy bottom casserole over medium high heat, add the olive oil, then the butter. When the foam begins to subside, add the chicken breasts in one layer. Brown on one side for 3-4 minutes until golden; turn and brown the other side. They should be of uniform color, and slightly springy to the touch. At this point, you may sprinkle the cognac over the pan, tilt the pan slightly away from you, and ignite it with a long match or long fireplace lighter. (This is the dramatic part; make sure your dinner companion is watching!) Be careful not to overcook; the chicken will continue to cook after you remove it from the pan, and again when you warm it in the sauce right before plating.
Add chopped shallots to the pan and sauté for about 30 seconds. Then add the tarragon, and stir briefly. You don’t want to brown the shallots, just soften them, and cook the herbs just enough to release their oils. Add the white wine, deglazing the pan by scraping up the bits of browning residue with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add tomato pulp and the chicken stock, adjusting the heat until you have a gentle boil, and cook until the sauce is reduced by about half. Add the optional cream and simmer for a few minutes more, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
Return the chicken breasts to the pan, lower the heat to medium low, and warm the breasts through, basting occasionally with the sauce.
You may serve this directly from the skillet, or layer half the sauce on a serving platter, place the chicken breasts on top, and spoon the remaining sauce over them. Garnish with the fresh parsley.
This dish can be made ahead of time; just warm over medium heat for a few minutes.
NOTE: if you’re substituting dried tarragon for fresh, use ½ as much. Dried herbs, while not as complex in flavor, concentrate the oils in herbs.
Tags: chakra cooking, cooking, cooking and health, cooking instruction, Craig Kinzer, healthy cooking, joyful cooking, peace, spiritual
Trust Your Vibes
Feb 03, 2010
I really liked reading your post!. Quallity content. With such a valuable blog i believe you deserve to be ranking even higher in the search engines
.
Feb 04, 2010
Fine blog. I got a lot of good info. I’ve been following this technology for awhile. It’s fascinating how it keeps varying, yet some of the core elements remain the same. Have you seen much change since Google made their latest acquisition in the domain?
Feb 07, 2010
I have just recently started my blog and am really enjoying leaving comments on my favorite blogs
Bookmark for sure.
Feb 07, 2010
Great article. There’s a lot of good info here, though I did want to let you know something – I am running Mac OS X with the current beta of Firefox, and the design of your blog is kind of funky for me. I can read the articles, but the navigation doesn’t work so great.
Feb 13, 2010
I have to tell you this is the fourth time I have come across your site and Im loving it! I added your blog to my rss reader. Cant wait to see more updates!
Feb 16, 2010
Your post was challenging and I like that. Great Post!
Feb 18, 2010
Hi! Wonderful concept, but will this truly function?
Robert
Feb 19, 2010
Hi. I needed to tell you that some parts of your web site are onerous to scan for me, as I’m color blind. I am afflicted by protanopia, however there are more kinds of color blindness that may also experience difficulties. I can understand the majority of the web site Okay, and the elements I have problems with I am able to read by using a adapted browser. In any case, it would be cool if you would remember we color-blind folk whilst undertaking your next web page design. Cheers.
Feb 25, 2010
@chels I know what you mean, its hard to find good help these days. People now days just don’t have the work ethic they used to have. I mean consider whoever wrote this post, they must have been working hard to write that good and it took a good bit of their time I am sure. I work with people who couldn’t write like this if they tried, and getting them to try is hard enough as it is.
Mar 10, 2010
Not bad article, but I really miss that you didn’t express your opinion, but ok you just have different approach
Mar 13, 2010
What in particular was confusing to you
Mar 14, 2010
Here’s a comment. Great advice =) Thanks
Mar 25, 2010
Have you ever considered adding more videos to your blog posts to keep the readers more entertained? I mean I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good but since I’m more of a visual learner,I found that to be more helpful well let me know how it turns out. This is good…thanks for sharing
Mar 29, 2010
Wow, you have real great info there, Thank You because I find this info very useful to me. For me as an blogger, I work with Outlook as my email client and with the help of Email Sorter Wizard, an Outlook add-in, I manage all my email. I am sure many people will benefit from your blog.
Mar 31, 2010
I have been trying to acces this website for a while. I was using Chrome then when I tried Firefox, it worked just great? Just wanted to bring this to your attention. This is really a greatwebsite. I have a few myself. I really admire your layout. I know this is off topic but,did you make this theme yourself,or purchase from somewhere?
Mar 31, 2010
Thanks for the compliments. The site was custom designed by a group in LA. The content is all our own.
Apr 07, 2010
I think that is an interesting point, it made me think a bit. Thanks for sparking my thinking cap. Sometimes I get so much in a rut that I just feel like a record.
Apr 13, 2010
Just wanted to give you a shout from the valley of the sun, great information. Much appreciated.
Apr 18, 2010
That was an extremely nice post, I’m pleased with you!
May 23, 2010
Hey we was just browsing your article on my iPhone and I was thinking about how good it will work on the new ipad coming out . Fleeting thought…. Anyway thanks!
Jun 02, 2010
Thanks For This Post, was added to my bookmarks.
Jun 22, 2010
Super post – and great domain by the way:-)