Chicken with Herbs

I know, I know, really creative title. Well, it started off as “Chicken with Sage” but I decided to go nuts and add all of my fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, and sage). Sooooo, this turned into chicken with mega herbs. The technique is mostly taken from Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen with a few spins to make it more my style. Part of my style is that I don’t enjoy pounding meat flat. At all. It’s why I used to buy the already flattened stuff at the grocery store where I used to live. It cost just a little more, but it was already in perfect scallopini form. Every time I do it at home I get a major mess, so I have gotten crafty (or just lazy) and started slicing the chicken breasts horizontally so that I can create thin fillets. They do not end up uniform in size, but they are fairly uniform in thickness, which is the main concern. You can pound your meat or slice it. I don’t care, and it certainly ends up the same!

 

The original recipe had no sauce, but we love our chicken with a bit of sauce. Besides, making a sauce helps clean the bottom of the pan, so I am helping the dishwasher later! I used cauliflower puree which I had made for my lobster bisque previously, but you can feel free to use a dairy substitute of milk or heavy cream. The puree is a healthier way of making my sauces creamier and richer without the heavy cream. Do what you like!

Directions for Chicken with Herbs

Adapted from Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen

• 1.5 pounds chicken breasts (sliced or pounded thin)
• A handful of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, and sage were all great)
• Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ¼ cup white wine
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup Cauliflower puree (or you can use cream/milk/etc.)

Start by placing the chicken pieces into shallow bowls or plates. Lightly coat the chicken in some olive oil. Then, spread the garlic around the pieces. You can either use toothpicks to secure a small bit of herbs onto each piece of chicken, or simply press them on.

No toothpicks….

With toothpicks1

Cover the dishes with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Heat a tiny amount of oil in a large pan. Brown the chicken in batches, herb-side down.

If you are not using toothpicks, be careful when placing the pieces down. Once all of the pieces are browned, set them aside.

Next, stir in the white wine to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Stir in the chicken broth, and then the cauliflower puree.

When the sauce is simmering, place the chicken pieces back into the pan.

You might wish to remove the toothpicks before doing so. Keep simmering until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the toothpicks before serving if you haven’t already.

Directions for Chicken with Herbs (without pictures)

Adapted from Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen

• 1.5 pounds chicken breasts (sliced or pounded thin)
• A handful of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, and sage were all great)
• Olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ¼ cup white wine
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup Cauliflower puree (or you can use cream/milk/etc.)

Start by placing the chicken pieces into shallow bowls or plates. Lightly coat the chicken in some olive oil. Then, spread the garlic around the pieces. You can either use toothpicks to secure a small bit of herbs onto each piece of chicken, or simply press them on. Cover the dishes with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Heat a tiny amount of oil in a large pan. Brown the chicken in batches, herb-side down. If you are not using toothpicks, be careful when placing the pieces down. Once all of the pieces are browned, set them aside. Next, stir in the white wine to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the chicken broth, and then the cauliflower puree. When the sauce is simmering, place the chicken pieces back into the pan. You might wish to remove the toothpicks before doing so. Keep simmering until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the toothpicks before serving if you haven’t already.