POACHED STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Poached Stuffed Chicken Breasts image

Provided by Pierre Franey

Time 50m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 egg white
Salt to taste if desired
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/3 cup plus 3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Steps:

Each breast half will have a thin spare piece of meat loosely attached to the main part of the breast. Pull this off and set aside. Place each chicken breast half and the small piece of meat on a flat surface and pound lightly with a flat mallet.
Cut one breast half and one small piece of meat into cubes. Put the cubes into the container of a food processor or electric blender. Add the egg white, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne and blend thoroughly while gradually adding the 1/3 cup of cream.
Spoon an equal portion of the mixture into the center of each of the remaining larger flattened chicken breast pieces. Top each filling with one of the remaining smaller pieces of breast. Carefully fold over the sides of the larger breast pieces to completely enclose the filling. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Lay out 4 rectangles of clear plastic wrap. Place one filled chicken breast in the center of each rectangle. Fold over the sides of the plastic wrap to enclose the stuffed breasts.
Select a skillet large enough to hold the packages in one layer. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet and sprinkle the shallots over all. Arrange the packages over all and pour the wine between the packages.
Cover closely, bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes.
Carefully transfer the packages from the liquid to a warm serving dish. Leave the liquid in the skillet.
Unwrap the packages, taking care not to burn your fingers. Reserve any liquid from the packages and add it to the skillet.
Cook the liquid down until it is almost evaporated. Add the remaining 3/4 cup cream and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Cook over relatively high heat 3 minutes until reduced to about 2/3 cup. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible from the solids. Add the parsley to the liquid and swirl in the remaining one tablespoon butter. Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 718, UnsaturatedFat 13 grams, Carbohydrate 5 grams, Fat 39 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 79 grams, SaturatedFat 20 grams, Sodium 1064 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams