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Sautéed Chicken with Tarragon Sauce and Skinny Fr...

Sauteed Chicken with Tarragon Sauce and Skinny Fries

 

I usually work on Saturday but fortunately I don’t start until the afternoon. That means I have just enough time to watch Saturday Morning Kitchen and the lovely James Martin. A few weeks ago he prepared this dish. Instantly I knew what we would be having for dinner that night. In fact we love this so much we have had it every week since. It is warm and comforting – perfect for these cold, blustery winter nights. It also has a few of my favourite ingredients in it: Mushrooms, Chicken, Cream, and Tarragon! What’s not to like?

It’s probably for the best that we are not in possession of a deep fat fryer. The combination of my desire to attempt to deep fry every chocolate bar known to mankind and my accident-proneness make the idea of owning such a device more than a little scary. Using oven chips makes this an even easier, but no less tasty, dish to prepare.

In fact this is exactly what I am making for dinner tonight – my mouth is already watering! Oh, while watching the show the addition of the egg yolks was explained as adding richness to the dish and helping to slightly thicken the sauce. In fact the sauce is so good I guarantee you’ll be tempted to lick the plate!

Sautéed Chicken with Tarragon Sauce and Skinny Fries courtesy of James Martin and the BBC Food website

Ingredients

For the chicken

1 Tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

50g butter

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into chunks

2 shallots, finely sliced

125g pearl or baby onions

125g baby button mushrooms (I used chestnut mushrooms which I cut into thirds)

200ml white wine (plus an extra glass to drink while cooking 🙂 )

300ml chicken stock

150ml double cream

2 free-range egg yolks

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tsp fresh tarragon finely chopped (I used dried tarragon and kept the measurements about the same – but taste as you add it as it does have a strong flavour)

 

For the Fries

4 large chipping potatoes, peeled and cut into fine chips

vegetable oil, for deep frying

sea salt to taste

OR

you can used oven ready chips and just pop them in the oven and cook according to package directions

 

Directions

For the chicken: heat a frying pan until medium-hot. Add the oil, half the butter and the chicken and fry until golden-brown and nearly cooked through (approx 3-4 minutes)

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add the shallots to the pan and gently fry for 2-3 minutes until translucent

Increase the heat and add the remaining butter, pearl/baby onions and mushrooms. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden-brown

Add the white wine and cook until reduced in volume by half, then add the chicken stock and bring to the boil

Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the chicken and return to the boil

Cook for 2 more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through

In a bowl, whisk the cream and egg yolks together. Add to the pan and stir through. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Finally, stir the tarragon through the sauce and keep warm until ready to serve

 

For the skinny fries:

Heat a deep fat fryer to 180C / 350F (Caution: hot oil can be dangerous. Don’t leave unattended)

Add the chips amd fry for 4-5 minutes until golden-brown and cooked through

Drain on kitchen paper then sprinkle with sea salt

 

To serve: spoon the chicken onto the plate then pile the fries alongside

Enjoy!

 

Honey-Glazed Baby Onions...

Honey Glazed Onions cooked

 

Roasted onions are the best! Whenever we have a roast dinner I always chuck a handful into the pan. I love it when they go all sticky, sweet and oozy.  However I started wondering what rule had been set in place determining that these little gems could only be served with a roast dinner. I soon concluded that it was a nonsense and decided then and there that roast onions should be enjoyed whenever possible. Fortunately I am not alone in this belief.

All I will say about this recipe on the GE Healthahead website is that we have enjoyed it on a weekly basis since discovering it. It is simply that good! It is best to use smaller onions such as pickling, baby, pearl or shallots. These are delicious with roast meats, mashed potatoes, cheeses, in sandwiches and on their own. Seriously give these onions a try -they are amazing!

 

Honey-Glazed Pearl Onions

Ingredients

450g baby or pickling onions

250ml vegetable broth (I have also used chicken stock)

113g runny honey

2 Tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon dried sage (I have also used fresh thyme, fresh sage and bay leaves)

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 180°C / Gas mark 4

Cut the root end and remove the papery outer layers from the onions, leaving them whole.

Place in a 9-inch square-baking dish sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. (I haven’t greased the baking dish at all while making this and so far haven’t had any issues)

Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over onions.

Bake at 180°C, stirring occasionally, for 50 to 60 minutes or until onions can be easily pierced with a knife.

Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Ready for the oven

Ready for the oven