Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Madeira Sauce
Submitted by RocksAngelFace
Elegant chicken breasts with a mousseline-style spinach filling tucked under crispy skin, finished with a glossy Madeira pan sauce. A restaurant-worthy dinner you can prep a full day ahead.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
COOK
15 minREADY
1 hrsThis is date-night cooking at its finest. A silky spinach mousseline, made by blending chicken fillet with cream and ice, gets spread under the skin before a quick sear and flash in the oven. The result? Juicy, flavorful chicken with a filling that practically melts into the meat.
Fennel seeds and lemon zest give the stuffing a subtle complexity that sets this apart from your standard stuffed chicken. And freshly grated nutmeg ties the spinach and cream together the way only nutmeg can.
The Madeira sauce comes together in the same pan, deglazing all those golden brown bits into a rich, wine-laced sauce thickened with arrowroot for a glossy finish. Spoon it around the sliced chicken on heated plates and you’ve got something that belongs on a white tablecloth.
Chef Tips
- Keep the cream and chicken fillets cold for the mousseline. Warm ingredients won’t emulsify properly and the filling will break.
- Prep the stuffed breasts up to 24 hours ahead. The chilling time actually helps the filling set and stay in place during cooking.
- Slice the finished chicken at a 45-degree angle for the most dramatic presentation, showing off that green spiral of spinach inside.
- Serve with couscous timbales as suggested, or try it alongside buttered asparagus for a full bistro-style plate.
Ingredients
Directions
For the stuffed chicken:
Arrange the chicken breasts skin side down on a cutting board, makig sure the skin is evenly stretched over the breasts; halve them.
Remove the fillet strip from each breast, discard the white tendon, and in a food processor grind the fillets.
Add the ice, blend the mixture until the ice is absorbed, and with the motor running add the cream.
Add the spinach, the salt, fennel seeds, the rind, the nutmeg and the pepper.
Blend the filling well, scraping down the sides.
Turn the breasts skin side up and beginning at the pointed end pull the skin back carefully leaving the thin transparent membranes attached along a long side and leaving the skin attached at the opposite end.
Spread 3 tablespoons of the spinach filling evenly over each breast, smoothing it, and stretch the skin over the filling to cover it.
Chill the chicken, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for 1 hour.
May be prepared to this point 24 hours in advance and kept covered and chilled.
In a large ovenproof skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat unti it is hot but not smoking, add the chicken, skin side down and season it with salt and pepper.
Sauté the chicken for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown, turn it skin side up and bake it covered, in a preheated 400 oven for 10 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let it stand, covered loosely with foil for 5 minutes.
For sauce:
Pour off the fat from the skillet, add the Madeira, and boil it, scraping up the brown bits, until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
Add the broth and boil the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute.
Mix the arrowroot and water; add to broth, whisking.
Simmer the sauce while whisking for 1 minutes.
Holding a knife at a 45 angle slice the chicken crosswise and arrange the slices, overlapping them slightly, on 4 heated plates.
Sppon some of the sauce around the chicken and serve the remaining sauce separately.
Serve with Couscous Timbales.
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