Sunday 19 February 2012

Chicken flambe

So, tonight I decided to treat myself to something a little fancier than my normal fare (normal fare being anything that can be put between two slices of bread and eaten with my hands).


I dug up this recipe from http://www.mygourmetconnection.com:




Chicken Flambe with Irish Whiskey and Cream


Prepwork!


Ingredients:
1-1/2 to 1-3/4 lbs thin-sliced chicken breast filets
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2/3 cup Irish whiskey
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
Buttered egg noodles or long grain rice
* I did this on noodles, and added a bit of spinach for a bit more greenery, also went a little harder on the garlic, worcester, and the whiskey, as is my preference. 
Preparation:
Combine the flour, salt and pepper and spread on a sheet of waxed paper. Dredge the chicken in the flour on both sides.
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, add the chicken and cook just until golden, 2-1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover with foil to keep warm and reduce the heat to medium.
Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until any liquid the mushrooms give off has evaporated. Add the Worcestershire and cayenne and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Return the chicken to the pan and remove it from the heat. Pour the whiskey over top, return to the heat, stand back and ignite (see tips below). As soon as the flames subside, stir in the cream. Turn the chicken pieces several times to coat with the sauce. Finish with the chopped parsley and lemon juice.
To serve, plate a portion of egg noodles or rice, top with 2 pieces of chicken and spoon mushrooms and sauce over the top. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.


This is how it came out:






YUMMY! I'm sorry I couldn't get a picture of the actual flambe-ing for you guys. . .it was faster than my camera. Pretty blue flames though, and short-lived, so I didn't fear for my life. I also got a bottle of perrier to go with dinner. . .you know, being in Montreal and all. 

2 comments:

  1. What does lighting it on fire actually cause it to taste like or do?

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  2. From what I understand, its 20% to burn off the alcohol quickly but leave most of the flavor. . .and 80% to make your dinner guests go OOOOH. Or in this case, it was just me going oooh.

    ReplyDelete