THYME-FRIED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND A FINE MUSHROOM SAUCE
Chicken breasts can be used in so many ways it's amazing. Personally, I like to give them a more wild-tasting flavor using thyme and mushrooms. Complement the dish with grilled asparagus and you have a hit! If you want to add some more ingredients to this dish (e.g. if you don't have an appetizer before that) then feel free to serve this dish with rice or sautéed potatoes.
4 servings:
Chicken breasts:
4 chicken breasts, skin on
salt, pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
8 sprigs of thyme
4 crushed rose peppers (optional)
50 g/ 0.5 stick butter
Preheat the oven to 170 C/338 F. Dry the breast fillets with a kitchen paper and season them all around with salt and pepper. Take a non-stick pan and heat up the olive oil on moderate heat, add garlic and rose pepper and let it sauté for a couple of minutes. Place the thyme sprigs in the pan and place the chicken fillets above the thyme with the skin side down and let the skin become golden brown (about 5 minutes). Then turn the chicken around and sear for another 1 minute. Place the chicken fillets in an oven-proof pan and bake for about 15-18 minutes, until done and still moist inside.
Grilled asparagus:
20 asparagus spears
olive oil
salt, pepper
Break the asparagus spears so that you remove the wooden lower part of them. Brush them with oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat up a grill pan (griddle pan) or use a grill if you have to grill the asparagus. Make sure to turn it around frequently so it doesn't get burned and cooks evenly.
Mushroom sauce:
10 wild mushrooms that have lots of flavor, chopped
olive oil
2 onions, chopped finely
2 thyme sprigs
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 bay leaf
100 mL white wine
200 mL chicken stock
150 mL cream
salt, pepper to season
sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil on moderate heat for about 4-5 minutes. Add thyme, bay leaf, and chopped mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add more oil if necessary. Add wine and let it all reduce until there is just a little liquid left (a sec). Add stock and let it reduce again by half. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, put back on the heat and add the cream. Let it reduce again, now to a thick consistency. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve the dish!