Cooking with the Dutchess:
By Hanneke Eerden
If you ask me what would be the thing I’ve eaten the most so far, the answer must be chicken. A whole chicken, legs, breast, wings, you name it and I’ve made it more times than you can count. Except for chicken liver and other stuff like that. That’s something I really don’t like. But the meat, oh yes that’s delicious!
I remember my Mom always made a whole chicken in a large pan, braised. It took some time for that chicken to get ready and it was good because we didn’t know any better! She had an old gas heated oven, but never used it for chicken, only for pies and cakes. And when she got a new kitchen, with new appliances, she suddenly had a new electric oven with a rotisserie! And that changed everything, many Sundays from that moment on we ate rotisserie chicken! The crisp skin and juicy meat was something we’ve never had at home before and we definitely got addicted!
It’s still one of my favorite dishes, served with fries and a sweet sauce made with curry powder. I avoid saying a curry sauce because I’ve learned that that has a different meaning than what I want to say. I’m referring to a sauce that you make with curry powder, and that’s different than a curry, in the meaning of a stew with several spices. Curry powder consists of several combined ground spices like turmeric, cumin and coriander, but every producer has their own blend. My favorite brand for curry powder is Crosse & Blackwell but I can’t find it in the stores over here anymore. And that’s why I started a search on the internet. I found out that Nestlé owns this brand now, and I sent them an email. Result: I received several answers, from Nestlé and from Crosse & Blackwell themselves! Both answers were the same: it’s no longer available here… too bad…
The best way to get a chicken like a rotisserie chicken is to use a kettle barbeque (or any other barbeque with a lid). Keep the temperature at 375F and a 1-1,5 lbs chicken can be ready in about 1,5-2 hours. Really delicious. If you want a recipe you can find several on my website.
Today the recipe is about chicken, but not a whole chicken, and not a barbequed one. It’s about chicken breasts with Bourbon. Also very delicious and this one is special because the recipe also contains mushrooms and cheese! What’s not to like, is a often used saying by me, and it’s true….try it and you’ll agree!
Ingredients:
two chicken breasts, flattened: about ½ inch thick
(chicken) seasoning of your choice, I used Cajun Seasoning from Chef of the Future (www.chef-ofthefuture.com )
about 5 Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 x 1/2 cup Bourbon, divided
1 cup creamy cheese like Taleggio (an Italian soft creamy cheese with lots of taste!)
butter and olive oil
pepper and salt
Marinade the chicken in seasoning and Bourbon for at least 1 hour. Melt the butter and add the olive oil to a wide pan. Cook the chicken on the both sides (high heat) for a minute or five. Add the scallions and mushrooms. After 1 minute you can add the Bourbon , a little bit of pepper and salt and the cheese. Close the lid, and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. The cheese will be melted now and your dinner is ready!
I served it with small twice cooked potatoes and a green salad. Lovely dish!
As always ~ Bon Appetit!