Chicken breasts with wild mushroom sauce and puy lentils

For years this was my ‘posh dinner party’ number. People used to want a sauce and a bit of cream. Times have changed, but this is still a lovely dish. You can make the sauce and lentils ahead of time and reheat them, which makes it convenient, too.
Portions:6
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Ingrediënten

FOR THE SAUCE

  • 25 g scant 1oz dried wild mushrooms
  • 15 g ½oz unsalted butter
  • 100 g 3½oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 350 ml 12fl oz well-flavoured chicken stock
  • 125 ml 4fl oz double cream
  • salt and pepper

FOR THE CHICKEN

  • 6 skin-on boneless chicken breasts the best you can afford, each 150g (5½oz)
  • 20 g ¾oz unsalted butter
  • a splash of groundnut or rapeseed oil

FOR THE LENTILS

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 carrot finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick finely chopped
  • 300 g 10½oz Puy or Umbrian lentils
  • 450 ml 16fl oz chicken stock, more if needed (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tsp sherry vinegar
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Instructies

  • Start with the sauce, which you can make in advance if you want and reheat at the last minute.
  • Pour 75ml (2½fl oz) of boiling water over the dried mushrooms and leave to soak for 15 minutes.
  • Melt the butter and sauté the other mushrooms until well coloured.
  • Drain the wild mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquor, and chop any that are large.
  • Add to the mushrooms in the pan and cook for another minute.
  • Pour on the stock and soaking liquor and cook until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds.
  • Add the cream and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
  • Taste and season, you shouldn’t need any salt because of the reduced chicken stock.
  • Allow the chicken breasts to come to room temperature.
  • For the lentils, heat the regular oil in a heavy-based pan and gently sauté the onion, carrot and celery for 10 minutes.
  • Add the lentils, stock and bay leaf and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20–25 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked but still have a little bite.
  • (Keep an eye on them as they turn mushy very quickly.
  • ) By the end of the cooking time the stock should have been absorbed (you may need a little more stock or water during cooking).
  • Gently stir in the vinegar, virgin oil and parsley, check for seasoning and cover to keep warm.
  • Heat the butter and oil for the chicken in a large frying pan.
  • Season the chicken and put it in the pan, skin side down.
  • Cook for two minutes on each side over a medium heat, then reduce the heat and cook for six or so minutes, turning, until cooked through but still moist.
  • Quickly reheat the sauce.
  • Either leave the breasts whole or cut them, on a slight angle, into two or three pieces.
  • Put some lentils into the centre of six warmed plates, put a chicken breast on top of each serving and spoon some of the sauce around.
  • Serve immediately.
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Recipe Category Chicken
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