Champagne Chicken Recipe
This is a very luxurious dish that combines the acidity of the champagne with the saltiness of the prosciutto to great effect. Try serving it on a bed of
garlic mashed potatoes.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
- 4 slices prosciutto (paper thin), finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ cup dry champagne
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup fresh tarragon (or 1 tsp dry)
Preparation:
- Turn on your oven to its lowest setting — "Warm" or "Low" or whatever.
- Stretch a piece of plastic wrap across your work surface, place the chicken breasts on it, and lay another piece of plastic wrap on top. Then, using a meat mallet or rolling pin, flatten the chicken breasts between layers of plastic wrap, until they are about ½ inch thick.
- In a shallow baking dish or pan, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Drop the chicken breasts into flour mixture, and flip them to cover both sides, then shake off any excess flour.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat for a minute, then add the olive oil and heat for another 30 seconds or so. Add the shallots and sauté until slightly translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add prosciutto and sauté for another minute.
- Add the butter to the pan and let it heat until it turns foamy, then add the floured chicken breasts. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side or until they are nicely browned. Remove them from the pan and set in a shallow pan, covered with foil, and hold in the warm oven while you make the sauce.
- Add the champagne to the pan and scrape off any flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and tarragon and bring to a boil. Simmer for two minutes, return the chicken to the pan and simmer for another minute or until the chicken is heated through and the sauce has bubbled vigorously for a few moments.
- Plate chicken breasts, top generously with sauce and serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
