Crisped chicken breast on porcini rice crumble, haricot vert, truffle vinaigrette and garlic emulsion

IMGP1166

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The flavours of chicken, mushroom, lemon and garlic characterise this dish. It is absolutely made to go with a Soave wine which lifts it to a higher plane still. The key to crisping the chicken skin is to start the cooking process using a cold skillet as this allows time for the skin to lose its water content during the cooking process. This recipe feeds four people.
For the garlic emulsion
2 egg yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 pinches sea salt
1 cup (250 mls) vegetable oil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1-2 tsp white wine vinegar
Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature or the emulsion will not form. Whisk together the yolks with the mustard and salt. Add small quantities of the oil little by little whilst continually whisking the mixture until you have incorporated about 2/3 of the oil. Please note that overloading the oil at the beginning will stop formation of the emulsion. Whisk in the desired amount of lemon juice and vinegar and then incorporate the remaining oil. Taste the emulsion adding more lemon or salt as necessary. Transfer the emulsion into a squeezy bottle.

For the truffle vinaigrette

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp clear honey
2/3 cup (200 mls) water
2 tbsp white truffle oil
2 tsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp Armagnac
Simmer the onion and honey gently in a lidded pot for about 40 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer with the lid off for a minute longer. Transfer the contents to a food processor and blend until smooth.

For the haricot vert

Top but do not tail 2 handfuls of the beans. Season them with sea salt and black pepper. Sauté them gently in a pan of olive oil under a low to medium heat, stirring periodically. When they turn a lovely texture and colour, transfer them to a warm dish.

For the porcini rice crumble

1 cup (250 mls) risotto rice cooked in mushroom stock (or the reconstitution water if using dried mushrooms)
2 tbsp fresh or reconstituted dried porcini mushroom fragments, sautéed gently in unsalted butter
Breadcrumbs from 1 slice of decrusted white bread
2 tbsp duck fat
Sauté all the ingredients in a shallow pan of hot duck fat under a medium heat until the contents become slightly crisp

For the crisped chicken pieces

4 chicken breasts, skin on, flattened using a rolling pin, pricked and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Place the oil into a cold skillet then place the flattened chicken pieces skin side down into the cold oil. Place the skillet onto the hob at medium heat setting. Place a heavy pan onto the breasts to help even the crisping of the whole skin. After about 6 minutes of cooking, take off the heavy pan and using a spatula, check the skin has crisped nicely. If so, turn the flattened breasts over and sauté the other sides for a further 4 minutes or so. Transfer the cooked breasts to a warm plate and allow to rest for about 7-8 minutes. Transfer them to a chopping block and carve out rectangle shapes.

Constructing the dish

Place a layer of the rice crumble in the centre of the plate. Layer out the chicken pieces, haricots vert and porcini fragments. I have added parsley leaves. Using the squeezy bottle, plate out the emulsion and spoon out a tbsp of the truffle vinaigrette.

Leave a Comment