Monday, July 30, 2012

Chicken Breasts with Garlic Wine (Poulet au Vin d'Ail)







From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This simple, yet elegant, entree is nearly effortless to prepare. It takes less than 30 minutes to make, but it is prepared in two stages. The recipe includes a garlic wine that must be made a day or two before the chicken is sauteed. Dry white wine or dry vermouth is infused with a mixture of garlic and herbs and allowed to sit until their flavors permeate the wine. The wine is what gives this chicken its wonderful flavor. I use French vermouth to make the garlic wine used in this recipe. Years ago, Julia Child suggested the use of vermouth when good white wine was not available for cooking. I rarely have a bottle of white wine sitting on the door of my refrigerator, so I use vermouth in its stead. It can be kept for ages if properly stored and it makes an excellent cooking wine. I use Noilly Prat, Original French Dry Vermouth, for most of my cooking, but I also use an aperitif called Lillet, when we have it in the house. Lillet, by the way, is the "vermouth" used to make the famous Vesper martini popularized by James Bond in the movie Casino Royale. From my perspective, the advantage to using a brand specific vermouth is the consistency with which it performs. The folks at Cook's Illustrated also recommend Gallo vermouth for cooking. It has the advantage of being much less expensive than its French counterparts and it is more readily available in some communities. I have yet to use it, but it is on my must-try list. If you have an aversion to tarragon, omit it, but do not double the amount of thyme used in the recipe. This is a lovely, company worthy entree that was developed by Paula Wolfert. She has never let me down and I know that those of you who try this chicken will really enjoy it. The dish comes from Southwestern France and it is simple to prepare, visually appealing and absolutely delicious. I do hope you will try it. Here's the recipe.

Chicken Breasts with Garlic Wine (Poulet au Vin d'Ail)...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Paula Wolfert

Ingredients for garlic wine:
9 garlic cloves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of tarragon
1/4 teaspoon freshly crushed peppercorns
1 cup dry white wine or dry French vermouth

Ingredients for chicken:
3/4 cup Garlic Wine (recipe follows)
4 boneless chicken breast halves
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Flour, for dredging
2 tablespoons clarified butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh tarragon, plus additional for seasoning
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1) To make garlic wine: One to two days before serving, halve garlic cloves and put them in a 1-pint canning jar along with thyme, tarragon and crushed pepper corns. Bring wine or vermouth to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over ingredients in jar. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate for 1 to2 days. Strain wine through cheesecloth and return to a clean jar. Discard solids. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2) To prepare chicken: Trim chicken breasts and flatten slightly with a rolling pin to form cutlets of an even thickness. Season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Heat clarified butter and oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat until sizzling. Add chicken breasts and sauté on both sides, until lightly browned and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total. Do not overcook. Transfer chicken to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add tarragon and cook over gentle heat for 10 seconds. Add garlic wine and water, scraping pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Bring contents of pan to a boil. Add cream and boil to reduce until thick enough to coat a spoon. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and more tarragon to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve at once. Yield: 4 servings.








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32 comments :

Barbara F. said...

Mary, someone needs to invent "scratch and sniff" for computer screens. Oh, I can just imagine the taste of this chicken, and here I am ready to finally go off to beddy bye! xo

Debs @ The Spanish Wok said...

Fab recipe. Anything with lots of garlic and wine is mine LOL.

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

This is some classy and delicious looking chicken :D

Cheers
Choc Chip Uru

Diane said...

I love the sound of this, definitely one to try out quite soon. Thanks. Have a great week Diane

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I will definitely remember the Vermouth in my cupboard, it seems though that I always have wine on hand.

Coleens Recipes said...

This looks delicious!! I also absolutely love that serving dish!! You have the best photos!!!

From the Kitchen said...

This recipe sounds delicious. I've never cooked with vermouth as we usually have white wine around. Lillet is a favorite of mine--poured over a lemon or orange slice. I wonder if it imparts a sweeter sauce for the chicken than a dry white or dry vermouth. In any case, I'm printing this out.

Best,
Bonnie

Big Dude said...

A simple but elegant presentation and the crust looks perfact.

Ellen B Cookery said...

What a great way of creating a moist and delicious chicken breast. This is lovely!

Barbara said...

Mary, that photo is perfect! Anyone seeing it will want to try the recipe. Love the idea of the garlic wine sauce too.

Kim said...

This chicken looks pretty perfect to me. I'll definitly give a try to vermouths you tought us about!

Gloria Baker said...

I love these breast with garlicdear Mary:)

Ana Regalado said...

Do you think there's a software to (il)legally download these deliciousness ?! lol

QembarDelites said...

That look delicious Mary, it may looks simple but the taste must be very delicious with the very interesting garlic wine sauce.

David said...

Mary, This is just a beautiful chicken entree! Thanks for this great recipe... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Tricia Buice said...

Oh Mary - this sounds perfect. Throw a little pasta and crusty bread on the plate and I will moan through the whole meal! Awesome recipe!

Cathleen said...

Oh my goodness, this looks divine! I have just eaten a large breakfast, but that is not stopping me from wanting some of this. YUM!

Melinda said...

Oh, yummy! Love me some chicken!

M :)

Lilli said...

Chicken is one of my fav dish, love to eat it in different ways, thanks for this recip Mary!:) Follow you now! kisses!

trump said...

You say that you love to cook, and it shows so well done and I like this recipe! Richard

Martha said...

Oh! I WANT to taste this wonderful chicken! It looks perfect, Mary, just like your food always does!

Suzie said...

Love the garlic and the wine combo. It's looks delicious. I'm a big fan of chicken too.

Alicia Foodycat said...

Garlic wine! My two favourite words! This sounds so delicious, I must get some vermouth.

Unknown said...

This sounds like a lovely recipe, Mary! I can smell that garlic wine from here... YUM!!

Shug said...

I agree with Barbara F. It would super nice to be able to smell all of these delicious looking foods..
This is a great way to treat a piece of chicken...I can taste it now! Throw in some rice or pasta..and WaLa...the perfect meal
Blessings.
shug

Life's a shoe said...

oh wow, it sounds so Delicious and elegant

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Mary, What an interesting recipe. I have never used garlic/herb infused wine or vermouth! I would like to put this yummy recipe on my weekly menu. Could I use your photo with a link back and credit to you? This is a must try! Let me know. Thanks and YUMMY!

Tanna said...

Mary, thank you for the info on the vermouth... seems about 50% of the time I find a recipe I want to try with white wine, there is none available in my house! ;) Hope you have a wonderful week. blessings ~ tanna

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Mary, I know I would love this wonderful dish!

My Little Space said...

The nicely brown outer crust simply awesome. Wish I can have some too. Slurpppp....
Kristy

France@beyondthepeel said...

How wonderful Marie. It's great to have a guest worthy meal that is simple to put together!

Shibi Thomas said...

The chicken looks moist and I bet it tastes yummy.I love garlic and wine sauce.

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