Be ready to reevaluate chicken breast, it's for real here: Raymond Blanc's elegant version with morels and Sherry sauce.
Recipe taken from Raymond Blanc's official website
The dishes
Autumn brings with it the pleasure of steaming dishes, often enriched by the treasures of the underbrush; those sincere foods that wrap like a blanket and comfort like a home evening out of the rain. Even Raymond Blanc, a giant of 100% self-taught French cuisine, at the helm of the bistellated Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire, is a great admirer of them. Demonstrating this is his Chicken Breast with Morels and Sherry Sauce, advocated as an enjoyable antidote to the temperature drop. Fundamental, the morels, “mushrooms with a honeycomb structure and a creamy white stem,” Blanc explains on the official website.
“Wild species are found throughout the British Isles, but this recipe draws from the area of France where I grew up. I think they are among the best mushrooms in the world, and fortunately, finding them in supermarkets is no longer so difficult, thanks to easy-to-use dried products. In fact, I even prefer them to fresh ingredients, as their flavor is much more intense and persistent.” The pairing includes a Jura Wine, from the transalpine department of the same name, or a dry Sherry: be ready to reevaluate chicken breast, it's getting serious here.
Chicken with morels and Sherry sauce
Ingredients for 4 servings
For the morels
- 30 g dried morels, soaked in 250 ml water for at least 2 hours
- 4 organic/free-range chicken breasts (180 g each), skinless
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 15 g unsalted butter
- 250 g firm field mushrooms, washed quickly, dried and cut into quarters
- 120 ml dry sherry or Jura wine
- 400 ml cream
For the leeks
- 2 leeks, washed, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 200 ml boiling water
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 15 g unsalted butter
Drain the morels, retaining the soaking liquid, and squeeze them to extract as much as possible. Rinse the morels, drain and squeeze to dry them.
Cut the larger mushrooms into smaller pieces and set aside. Strain the set aside liquid through a muslin-lined strainer to remove any sandy residue and keep 100 ml.
Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until it starts to foam. Add the chicken breasts and brown lightly for 3 minutes on each side.
Remove from skillet and set aside.
In the fat remaining in the pan, soften the morels and soaked mushrooms for 1-2 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the sherry or wine in a small saucepan for 30 seconds, then add it to the mushrooms with the remaining liquid from the morels kept aside and a pinch of salt.
Add the cream and bring to a boil.
Replace the chicken breasts in the pan, making sure they are covered with the creamy sauce.
Lower the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking, place the leeks in a pot, pour in the boiling water, add the salt and butter.
Cover and cook at full boil for 5-10 minutes, until tender. Using a skimmer, lift out the chicken breasts and lay them on a hot plate; keep warm.
Quickly boil the sauce to reduce it until it is thick enough. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Return the chicken breasts to the sauce and heat for 2 minutes. With a skimmer, remove the leeks from their liquid and arrange them on hot plates.
Arrange the chicken breasts on top and pour the morel sauce over them. By this time, the kitchen will be bursting with aroma. Accompany with a chilled bottle of Jura wine for the perfect pairing. Bon appétit!
