Resurrection / Chicken with Artichoke Cream Sauce

I called this port "Resurrection" because I've been behind on my posts and you deserve for me to present something that you can create and knock the very socks off whomever you're trying to impress.  This is a long post, it's very detailed, and if you follow every step, your efforts will be returned to you ten fold.  This is, without a doubt, one of the most in depth posts I've ever presented, so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy.

In last weeks episode, I talked about a chicken dish that I wanted to build before I released it to the public.  I had the chance to make it last night for some friends that came in on their way to Florida.  The story gets more interesting in that about 4 hours North of my little Burg lives a man that we went to high school with and it turns out he's a mighty fine Hash Slinger in his own right and, on the return trip, my traveling friends will be stopping to sample his culinary talents as well.  Although this wasn't officially labelled a "Contest", I found out that Mr. Sean was regarding it as such.....just the same as I was.  So, it's on, of a sense.  There really isn't any way calculate a winner of this little foray but it makes it fun and forces two great cooks to put out their best.

My contribution to this little bit of fun is one of the best dishes I have ever prepared and is as follows:

Chicken with Artichoke Cream Sauce
Potato Souffle

I know I normally present three dishes or recipes but you will quickly see that the chicken is going to be in depth.  Not so much complicated, however, it will require dedication to make this dish the right way, the way it should be made.  Without wasting any time, I present.....

Chicken with Artichoke Cream Sauce

This recipe is for two persons.  Double it as needed.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
1 whole Chicken (medium to large) to be cut up
2 cups All Purpose, Unbleaced Flour as a dredge
1 Tbsp Fine Sea Salt
1 Tbsp fresh ground Pepper
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 cup canola or other light oil plus another 1/4 cup for reserve
1 medium Shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup quartered Artichoke Hearts
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Chicken stock that you're about to make (you heard me right)
Sea Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper to taste.

When you start, your bird will look like this.  I really do wish I had taken enough pics to show you exactly how to dissect this beast but the simple fact of the matter is that I had no motivation to wash my hands every 34 seconds to take a picture.  For the sake of getting this job done, lets separate this into the following steps.  You will have to know how to destroy a bird to understand the following:

• Split the bird in half with a cleaver or heavy knife.
• Separate the the breast quarter from the leg quarter.
• Debone the breast, removing the keel, ribs, and wishbone but leave the wing attached to the breast.
• Leave the Peg leg attached to the breast but cut off the remaining portion of the wing at the joint

The end result of this will be a boneless, skinless chicken breast with the Peg leg of the wing still attached, with the bone in it.  Believe it or not, the small bone that remains will add a great deal of flavor to the breast as it cooks.

Now, you will be left with the leg quarters that you can save and use for something else.  For me, I'm going to use them for Chicken and Rice.  However, you'll need to take the remaining wing portions, all the bones, skin, the back, and leftover portions of meat and throw them in a pot, cover them with water, add a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper and set it to boil.  Boil and bubble, toil and trouble, add water if needed throughout he process, and after a couple of hours, you'll have a stock that is stupid rich, very flavorful, and oh so good.  When this is done, you should end up with about 1 1/2 cups of stock that is a bit more concentrated than a regular stock, but that's OK since you will be adding cream to this as well.  I would say that you could add bouillon or chicken base but one of the main points of this dish is to use the bird itself for as much as you can without letting anything go to waste.

Place the flour in a zip top bag and add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, ans cayenne pepper, and blend well.  Add the chicken breasts to the bag and coat the breasts well. Add canola oil to a large skillet, heat to a medium high, and add the breast, presentation side down.  Don't move them around too much in the first few minutes as the dredge will tend break away until the flour has locked on.  When beautifully brown on the first side, flip and repeat, frying for about 5 minutes and place in the preheated oven.

As a side note, when I say presentation side down it means that which ever side you're going to presents to your guests, that's the side that goes down first in the fry..  The skillet is going to be at its hottest and will give the most uniform sear.

Using a meat thermometer, pull the skillet from the oven when the core temp reaches just over 170 degrees and place the breasts on the server (plate, platter, etc.)..  It's not quite done yet but the residual heat will finish the cooking, quite literally, on the plate.  If all of the oil has been soaked up, which is quite likely, add the reserve oil to the pan over a medium heat.and add the shallots, garlic, and artichoke and give them a quick saute until just translucent with a few brown edges.  Add 2-3 Tbsp of the dredge flour to the oil and whisk in completely, breaking up all the lumps.  Turn the heat up to high and whisk in one cup of the stock you made before until the sauce is smooth, making sure to scrape all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan, then add the heavy cream.  Now, roux can be a funny thing (see the post "Roux" for some technical explanations) and it may not be as thin as you like.  Use the remaining stock to get the sauce to your preferred consistency.


Now, just a moment about plating your bird, if you will indulge me.  As you can see, I was serving something that I wanted to appear as rich and hearty. I arranged the plate to center the chicken with the sauce/gravy flowing over into the middle of the plate while offsetting the Parmesan Green Beans (from last weeks post) and the Potato Souffle to frame the main part of the dish.  If I were to serve this to a group of potential restaurant investors, customers, or any other upper end presentation, I would strain the sauce, splash it on a straight white plate, stack the artichokes on the breast, and place it in the middle of the splash.  Food is 60% what you see.  Make this dish beautiful, you've worked hard on this.  Make it yours.

Potato Souffle

Some souffles can be a real bear to make as the threat of having them collapse, or "Fall", is something I remember hearing about as far back a Brady Bunch episodes in the 70's.  However, there are some that are as easy and care free as can be imagined and present standard foods in a new light.

4 cups cut and boiled potatoes, cooled to room temperature (I used Yukon Gold for color but any spud will do)
1 large Shallot, finely diced
2-3 cloves Garlic, finely diced
1/4 cup Butter
4 farm fresh Eggs, separated
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 cup finely chopped Speck or Prosciutto
Sea Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper to taste

Sweat shallots and garlic in the butter over a very low heat until just translucent and allow to cool.  If you have a stand mixer, it works great for the next few steps.  If not, add the potatoes, shallots, garlic, egg yolks, heavy cream, speck, and salt and pepper to a large bowl and mix well until thoroughly combined.  In a separate metal or ceramic bowl,do not use plastic, whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  Plastic bowls have a nasty habit of holding onto fats no matter how well you clean them.  Any fat in egg whites will not allow them to whip into stiff peaks.

Add about 1/3 of the whites to the potatoes and slowly fold in.  When almost incorporated, add the remaining whites and fold in until almost completely mixed in.  The point of a Souffle is to have the egg whites expand and set, making a fluffy consistency of whatever you're making.  Take the time to fold properly and not to push the air out of the whipped egg whites as this is the key to success with any Souffle.

Put mixture in a well buttered Souffle dish and place in an oven that has been preheated to 375 degrees and bake for about 1 hour.  When the Souffle has risen and begins to brown slightly on top, you're done.  Carefully remove from the oven and let stand for about 10 minutes for the eggs to set completely and you're Souffle should be safe from deflation and ready to serve.  If you have a little sauce left over, maybe drizzle just a bit over the potatoes on the plate.

What topped this off was that I finally got a good loaf of bread out of my oven (it's taken more than a few tries) which just added to one of the best dishes I've ever pulled off, and I did it for friends that know how to live life, have a few cocktails, and enjoy good, rich foods with camaraderie and laughs.

As I finish writing this and proof reading it, I am well aware of what it took to get this post written.  So what do I do while happily typing away?  I make French Toast from the leftover, homemade bread.....and it was great.

Party Well, Eat Better
Rob