NotEverything (noteverything) wrote in qaf_creamsauce, @ 2008-11-25 08:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | debbie would approve: italian, not chicken!: poultry |
There was a discussion yesterday on plasticine_star's journal that started out being about baby spinach and a recipe she could take to a party. It ended with me thinking about spinach and how much I love it and things I cook with spinach. So here are a couple of recipes. WARNING: These are NOT low fat, low calorie recipes. They're delicious, but I'd save them for special occasions!
Chicken Florentine
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use three because there are three of us)
flour for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, I use a garlic press rather than mincing, but you can mince if you'd rather
1 1/2 cups dry white wine (I am sort of hit and miss when it comes to drinking wine. If I happen to have a bottle open, I use that. If not, I keep those little four pack bottles on hand. 1 1/2 bottles is about 1 1/2 cups.)
1 cup heavy cream
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
fresh baby spinach, steamed (I usually use one bag of pre-washed)
Butterfly chicken and pound slightly to flatten. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour lightly. Melt 2 tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, cook until brown, usually about 5 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Melt 2 more tbsp. butter in the skillet, still medium heat. Add shallots, cook for about a minute, then add garlic and cook about a minute more. Add the wine and turn the heat up to medium-high. Boil until the liquid is reduced by half...usually around 4 minutes. Add cream and reduce again by half, about 4 more minutes. Season if needed and add parsley.
Add the chicken and any juices back to the pan and turn to coat. Add the steamed (make sure it's dried, I use *very* little water to steam. Sometimes I will saute it in butter and olive oil, but that just adds even more fat and this is NOT a healthy recipe anyway) spinach and serve.
This makes a fairly thin sauce, which is not the way my fav local Italian restaurant makes it, but the flavor is outstanding.
Chicken Breasts with Spinach and Pine Nuts in Lemon Butter Sauce
I serve this over angel hair pasta, so prepare that as you usually do.
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (again, three for us)
pine nuts, about a cup, toasted
spinach, about a bag, steamed
lemon-butter sauce, recipe follows
Prepare the chicken just like I did for the Florentine and set aside. Toast nuts in a small skillet until browned. Be careful, they're easy to burn. Prepare spinach and pasta and have ready to go.
Lemon-Butter Sauce
Lemon Butter Sauce:
1/2 cup dry white wine (1/2 small bottle)
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1-2 cloves pressed garlic
1/2 small shallot, minced
10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut up
Fresh parsley to garnish
Set a large non-reactive saucepan over high heat. Add the wine, lemon juice, garlic, and shallots. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until liquid is reduced by 2/3. Over low heat, whisk in 6 tablespoons of the butter a few pats at a time. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons of the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue whisking until all of the butter is incorporated into the sauce. Strain the sauce, pressing all of the liquid into a bowl. Stir in the parsley. Serve over chicken and spinach on a bed of angel hair and top with pine nuts.