Stuffed Chicken With Sherry Mustard Sauce

Recipe For Stuffed Chicken With Sherry Mustard Sauce

(Very slightly adapted from this Food Network recipe)

Cooking spray
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves *
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Creole mustard

Preheat the broiler.  Mist a shallow rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.  Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and crisp tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain in colander and rinse under cold water until broccoli is cold.  Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

Chop the broccoli and toss in a bowl with the Gruyere and garlic.  Insert a paring knife into the thickest part of each chicken breast to make a 3-inch deep pocket.  Stuff each chicken breast with the broccoli mixture.  Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with olive oil and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes.  Put the chicken in the pan and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.  If the chicken begins to brown too quickly, turn the heat down to medium to finish cooking through.  Transfer to the baking dish.

Meanwhile, combine the evaporated milk and chicken stock in a small saucepan, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Stir the sherry and cornstarch together until smooth, then pour, whisking constantly, into the sauce.  Cook until just thickened, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan.  Top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons of sauce and place under the broiler.  Broil until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

Whisk the mustard into the remaining sauce.  To serve, spread mustard sauce on each plate and top with a chicken breast.


* For the juiciest, best-tasting results, brine the chicken breasts before preparing the recipe.  Combine 1 quart of water with 1/2 cup Kosher salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar.  Warm over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until salt and sugar dissolve.  Remove from heat and add 1 quart of ice cubes.  Put chicken breasts in a heavy duty zip top plastic bag, pour in the brine, and refrigerate for an hour or two, giving the bag a little shimmy-shake every now and again.  Drain the brine and prepare the stuffed chicken recipe above.

Wild or Mild Cream of Mushroom Soup

6 T butter, divided use

2 T extra virgin olive oil
4 T flour
3/4 C diced shallots
4 cloves minced garlic
10 C sliced mushrooms of your choice *
1 1/2 t herbes de Provence
1 t Kosher salt
1/2 t fresh coarsely ground black pepper
1 C dry sherry
4 C chicken broth**
2 C milk
1 T dark soy sauce

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium to medium high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add shallots and saute until opaque. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and saute until softened. Add the herbs de Provence, salt, and pepper. Add the mushrooms, a little at a time if necessary, and saute until mushrooms are cooked through. Add the sherry to the skillet and cook at a high simmer until the liquid disappears. This will take a while.

In a nice, roomy Dutch oven melt the additional 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the 4 tablespoons of flour and whisk constantly while cooking for several minutes so that the butter and flour combine and the flour "cooks" and doesn't have a "raw" taste. Slowly add the chicken broth, wisking as you add it. Then slowly add the milk, wisking as you add it. Continue wisking until the mixture begins to thicken.

Now add the mushroom mixture from your skillet to the cream mixture in the Dutch oven and allow it to simmer for a while so that the flavors meld.

* Use whatever mushroom combination you like. This soup will be wonderful with plain old white button mushrooms, or any combination of mushrooms, or even rehydrated dried mushrooms. Make it your own depending on your taste.

** If you make your own chicken stock, you should definitely use it for this recipe. However, if you're human like the rest of us, be creative. You can use boxed or canned chicken stock or the appropriate amount of chicken bouillon and water.