Michael John.net In The Kitchen

This was my twist on the classic Pompano en Papillote, originally produced in the French Quarter in New Orleans. For my version of this “steamed in parchment”classic, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the Pompano fish. Creole seasoning, leeks, carrots, celery and parsley were placed on top of each breast, in addition of a splash of dry, white wine. After sealing up my parchment paper I baked in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. While my packets were steaming I made a quick spicy sauce to compliment the creole seasonings on the chicken. Fresh carrot juice and a dash each of cayenne, allspice, ginger, salt and pepper were brought to a boil on the stove top. A generous tablespoon of unsalted butter was mixed in, using a whisk and kept on a low setting to keep warm. Once the chicken packets ballooned up, it was ready for the big finish. I cut an “X” into the center of each packet and carefully tore back the paper (smells were amazing!) and drizzled with the spicy carrot sauce and served in the paper. You have to try this – the chicken was so juicy and the carrot sauce with the undertone of heat/sweetness from the spices – amazing!

In this spin on a classic, I chose dry, white wine instead of red, which is in the original recipe. I just feel that it lightens the dish a bit and with the addition of fresh herbs at plating, it is a perfect Spring meal. Chicken braised with wine is the perfect comfort food. The lardons, the pearl onions, the mushrooms, the rich sauce…delicious! This time I chose to serve it on a bed of diced potatoes that I steamed and mixed with butter and parsley. A bottle of  Viognier, Albarino or a Reserve Chardonnay would be my picks for wine.

For  this yummy dish I scored the skin side of duck breasts in a cross hatch pattern and placed skin side down in a hot skillet and rendered down the fat for about 20 minutes. Once the fat was rendered and the skin was nice and browned I turned the breasts over, poured out most of the fat and placed into the oven with enough chicken stock to come about 1/2 up the sides of the breasts. I added 2 bay leaves and a few stocks of fresh thyme and roasted, uncovered, until cooked through but still a bit pink. Once cooked I removed from the oven to a warm dish and covered loosely with foil while preparing the sauce. For the sauce I cooked pancetta until crispy and added shallots and a few cloves of garlic and cooked until translucent. At this point I added mushrooms, celery, the meat of a roma tomato finely diced, chopped fresh thyme and a bay leaf and chicken stock. Once the sauce was reduced by 1/3rd I mixed 1 tablespoon of butter with an equal amount of flour into a paste and added to the pan and brought up to a boil, added the breasts back to the pan and cooked for about 5 minutes. A dusting of parsley and I served over brown, buttered rice. It was tender, juicy and amazing!

Continuing my love affair with chicken, I created this quick and tasty dish. Starting with boneless, skinless breasts, I carefully cut an envelope opening in each. Following a small pinch of salt and some red pepper flakes, I placed thinly sliced Prosciutto, a piece of provolone cheese and 2 fresh sage leaves inside each pocket; a little salt and red pepper to the outside and I set them aside for a minute. In my pan I drizzled with a bit of olive oil and added small diced pancetta that I cooked until crispy. The pancetta pieces were set aside and then I added a bit more olive oil and a pat of butter to the pan and then gently added the chicken pieces. After a quick sear on each side I added 1/2 cup of chicken stock and a splash of white wine as well as a few torn sage leaves to the pan and placed in a preheated 375 degree oven. At this point I created a quick sauce with garlic, a can of San Marzano tomatoes, finely chopped rosemary and the pancetta pieces. After about 10 minutes I set aside while I grabbed the immersion blender and then blended the mixture for 30 seconds until smooth. I then added half the sauce to my chicken breasts and continued to bake for another 10 minutes. To serve I cooked pasta until al dente and mixed with butter, fresh parsley flakes and small dusting of parmesan cheese and plated the chicken, cut in half on a diagonal over a bed of the pasta and drizzled with more sauce, cheese and fresh parsley. In under an hour I had an amazing meal that was full of flavor!