Simple yet Elegant {Recipes: Chicken Chasseur and Comté Rice}

Sometime ago a friend had posted on Facebook that she had one of her favorite meals one evening and it was Chicken Chasseur. She went on to say how good it was. I had not heard of it before, but I certainly wanted to check out what chicken dish could garner such praise. It turns out to be a fairly simple dish and is quite tasty.

All the recipes I came across are about the same. Some have cognac in them, some have different herbs, and some have no herbs. All the recipes I looked at have chopped tomato and/or tomato paste that is added in at the beginning of the cooking process. I prefer grape tomatoes to many other tomatoes and I like to add them in at the end so they still have a vibrant color. Many of the recipes with the cooked chopped tomato did not look as appealing. I do not think that cognac and/or tomato paste are necessary.

So here is my version of Chicken Chasseur, it is bound to become a regular dish at our house. It's easy enough for a weeknight dinner and elegant enough to serve company.

Chicken Chasseur

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast and/or thighs
2 shallots, minced (about 1/4 cup)
10 ounces mushrooms (Baby Bellas are good), sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio is good)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream'
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
3/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt to taste
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half 
4-6 basil leaves, chiffonade

1. In a 5 quart dutch oven or large skillet, melt butter and oil over medium heat. Pat chicken dry (cut breasts in half if they are large) and season well with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the pan and brown on both sides (about 3-4 minutes each side). After browning, chicken and place on a plate: set aside.
2. Add shallots to the pan and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until mushroom start to brown. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour and continue to cook and stir for another minute. 
3. Deglaze the pan with the wine, then add the chicken stock, cream, and lemon juice. Give it all a good stir, then add the thyme.
4. Return the chicken to the plan and give the chicken pieces a turn to coat with sauce. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover, then reduce heat to simmer. Continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Test the thickest piece of chicken with an instant read thermometer. Once it reaches 165°, the chicken is done. Keep an eye on the chicken so it doesn't overcook or else the breast meat will be dry. 
5. Test the sauce at this point for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if needed. 
6. Plate chicken, then pour sauce over the chicken (I often just keep it in the dutch oven and just give it a good stir to coat the chicken again with sauce). Top the chicken with the grape tomato halves and fresh basil. Serve hot. 

Serves 4-6

Comté Rice

This recipe comes from The Braiser Cookbook by Wine Moranville. It goes very well with the above recipe for Chicken Chasseur. 

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2/3 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (The chicken stock I buy comes in a 32 ounce container, so I use the leftover from the Chicken Chasseur recipe.)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup Comté or Gruyère
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives, and/or chervil

1. Melt the butter in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until tender but not brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly until it releases its fragrance. Add the rice and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes more or until the rice is nicely coated with butter and just starting to cook, but not brown. 
2. Stir in the chicken broth; season with pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice has absorbed most of the broth but is still somewhat soupy, about 20 minutes. 
3. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, until the rice is thick and creamy rather than soupy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese and herbs. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Bon Appétit!