How to Cook Slow-Roasted Chicken Breast With Braised Chicory

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients needed to make Slow-Roasted Chicken Breast With Braised Chicory:

For the chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the sauce:

• 2 fl oz Madeira
• 2 fl oz port
• 17 ½ fl oz chicken broth
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 oz butter

For the chicory:

• 2 baby red chicory
• 3 fl oz chicken stock
• 2 fl oz orange juice
• 1 fresh thyme sprig
• 1 oz butter

Cooking instructions for Slow-Roasted Chicken Breast With Braised Chicory:

• To cook the chicken, rub the seasonings all over the meat and place it on a pan, with the skin side facing down.
• Cook the chicken slowly over low heat, for about 10-15 minutes or until all of the fat melts and the skin becomes crispy golden brown.
• Flip them over and cook the other side for another couple of minutes or until it browns evenly.
• Transfer the breasts to a pre-greased baking dish and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the dish from oven and keep the meat warm on a hot plate.
• To make the sauce, add a knob of butter in a pan and melt it over moderate heat, until it starts foaming.
• Throw in the shallots as well as garlic and saute them for a couple of minutes, while stirring often.
• Once they soften but doesn’t change colour yet, pour in the Madiera, followed by the port to deglaze.
• Scrap any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the pan, with a wooden spatula and stir the sauce several times.
• Simmer it for 3-4 minutes or until it becomes syrupy and pour in the chicken stock.
• Continue to simmer until the cooking liquid reduces to form a thick sauce.
• Sprinkle a dash of salt and lots of black pepper to taste and pass it through a fine sieve to strain.
• Return the strained sauce to the pan and continue to heat it over slow flame until it is time to serve the dish.
• To braise the chicory, melt another knob of butter in a pan until it foams and stir in the chicory as well as thyme leaves.
• Stir-fry them for a couple of minutes and pour in the chicken stock plus orange juice.
• Scrap up any browned bits from the base of the pan and continue to simmer it for another 2 minutes or until the chicory wilts.
• Slice the chicken into semi-thick slices and arrange them on serving plates.
• Drizzle th braised chicory over them and spoon the sauce beside them.
• Serve right away.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons