Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts With Madeira Sauce

 

The Best of Gourmet 1987

 

 serves 4
 

Really delicious. Not difficult, but finding boneless skin on chicken breasts isn’t easy. It used to be. 

Ingredients 

  • two 1-pound whole chicken breasts, boned but not skinned
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons crushed ice
  • 3 tablespoons well chilled heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed cooked, squeezed, and chopped spinach (about 1/2 pound fresh)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon rind
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • For the sauce1/2 cup Sercial Madeira
  • 3/4 cup canned chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon arrowroot dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

Directions

Make the stuffed chicken: Arrange the chicken breasts skin side down on a cutting board, making sure the skin is evenly stretched over the breasts, and halve them. Remove the fillet strip from each breast, discard the white tendon, and in a food processor grind the fillets. Add the ice, blend the mixture until the ice is absorbed, and, with the motor running add the cream. Add the spinach, the salt, the fennel seeds, the rind, the nutmeg, and the pepper and blend the filling well, scraping down the sides.

Turn the breasts skin side up and beginning at the pointed end pull the skin back carefully, leaving the thin transparent membranes attached along a long side and leaving the skin attached at the opposite end. Spread 3 tablespoons of the spinach filling evenly over each breast, smoothing it, and stretch the skin over the filling to cover it. (Reserve the remaining spinach filling for another use such as miniature quenelles made by poaching small balls of it in clear soup, such as the chicken consommé) Chill the chicken, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for 1 hour. The chicken may be prepared up to this point 24 hours in advance and kept covered and chilled.

In a large ovenproof skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking, add the chicken, skin side down, and season it with salt and pepper. Sauté the chicken for I to 2 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown, turn it skin side up and bake it covered, in a preheated 400° F oven for 10 minutes. Transfer the stuffed chicken breasts to a cutting board and let them stand, covered loosely with foil, for 5 minutes.

Make the sauce while the chicken is standing. Pour off the fat from the skillet, add the Madeira, and boil it scraping up the brown bits, until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add the broth and boil the mixture, stiring, for 1 minute. Stir the arrowroot mixture, add it to the skillet, whisking, and simmer the sauce, whisking for I minute.

Holding a knife at a 45° angle slice the chicken cross· wise and arrange the slices, overlapping them slightly, on 4 heated plates. Spoon some of the sauce around the chicken and serve the remaining sauce separately.