Chicken Florentine With Spring Vegetable Hash And Red Wine Demiglace Recipes

CHICKEN IN RED WINE WITH ONIONS, MUSHROOMS AND BACON: COQ AU VIN

Steps:

• Remove the rind and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles 1/4-inch across and 1-inch long). Simmer for 10 minutes in 2 quarts of water. Rinse in cold water. Dry.
• In a heavy large heavy bottomed casserole or Dutch oven, saute the bacon slowly in hot butter until it is very lightly browned (temperature of 260 degrees F for an electric skillet). Remove to a side dish.
• Dry the chicken thoroughly. Brown it in the hot fat in the casserole. (360 degrees F for the electric skillet.)
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Return the bacon to the casserole with the chicken. Cover and cook slowly (300 degrees F) for 10 minutes, turning the chicken once.
• Uncover, and pour in the cognac. Averting your face, ignite the cognac with a lighted match. Shake the casserole back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside.
• Pour the wine into the casserole. Add just enough stock or bouillon to cover the chicken. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic and herbs. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and its juices run a clear yellow when the meat is pricked with a fork. Remove the chicken to a side dish.
• While the chicken is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.
• Simmer the chicken cooking liquid in the casserole for 1 to 2 minutes, skimming off fat. Then raise the heat and boil rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2 1/4 cups. Correct seasoning. Remove from heat, and discard bay leaf.
• Blend the butter and flour together into a smooth paste (beurre manie). Beat the paste into the hot liquid with a wire whip. Bring to the simmer, stirring and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
• Arrange the chicken in a casserole, place the mushrooms and onions around it and baste with the sauce. If the dish is not to be served immediately, film the top of the sauce with stock or dot with small pieces of butter. Set aside uncovered for no longer than 1 hour or cool, cover and refrigerate until needed.
• Shortly before serving, bring the casserole to a simmer, basting the chicken with the sauce. Cover and simmer slowly for 4 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is heated through.
• Serve from the casserole, or arrange on a hot platter. Decorate with sprigs of parsley.
• When the butter and oil are bubbling in the skillet, add the onions and saute over moderate heat for 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.
• Braise them as follows: Pour in the stock, season to taste, and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 15 to 20 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet. Serve them as they are.
• Bake them as follows: Transfer the onions and their sauteing fat to a shallow baking dish or casserole just large enough to hold them in 1 layer. Set uncovered in upper third of a preheated 350 degree F oven for 40 to 50 minutes, turning them over once or twice. They should be very tender, retain their shape and be a nice golden brown. Remove herb bouquet. Serve them as they are.
• Place the skillet over high heat with the butter and oil. As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 minutes. During their saute the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat. In 2 to 3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms will begin to brown. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.
• Toss the shallots or green onions, if using, with the mushrooms. Saute over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Sauteed mushrooms may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE WITH SPRING VEGETABLE HASH AND RED WINE DEMIGLACE

Steps:

• For the Chicken: Steam spinach. Season the breasts with salt and pepper, flatten with meat mallet to integrate the seasoning into the chicken. Pound chicken thin and remove plastic. Mix together blue cheese, ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and white wine. Place equal amounts of the cheese mixture on each breast, followed by equal amounts of the steamed spinach. Fold in each end and roll tightly, securing with toothpicks as needed, and placing on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and brush with remaining olive oil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, or until internal temperature registers 165 degrees F. Remove stuffed chicken from oven and allow to rest. For the tapenade: Finely chop olives and plums and combine with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 2 ounces of blue cheese and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. For the Demi-Glace: Prepare demi-glace while the chicken and hash are in the oven, by melting the butter over medium heat in a saucepan and sauteing onion until tender. Whisk together cornstarch and red wine to make slurry, and add to onion along with veal stock. Let simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, stirring occasionally. Toss 2 ounces of blue cheese with warm hash mixture and form a circle of the hash in the center of serving plate. Place stuffed chicken on top of hash, and spoon some of the tapenade onto the chicken breast. Drizzle demi-glace over chicken and hash.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE WITH SPRING VEGETABLE AND DOUBLE POTATO HASH AND RED WINE DEMI-GLACE

Steps:

• For the Chicken:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Steam spinach and let cool. Lay a long piece of plastic wrap over your cutting board and tuck it underneath the sides of the board. The chicken breasts should be placed on the covered cutting board, skin side down, with enough space between them so they can lay flat after you butterfly them. To make the butterfly cut, carefully slice open (without slicing the chicken all the way through) and spread the flesh of the chicken out so you will be able to pound it out into a single thin piece on which you will place stuffing and then roll up. Season the breasts with salt and pepper. Then put another length of plastic wrap over the seasoned chicken breasts and flatten with meat mallet to integrate the seasoning into the chicken. *Cook's Note: Covering the chicken with the plastic will also keep the mess down when you pound with the meat mallet.
• Pound chicken thin and remove plastic. In a small mixing bowl, mix together, blue cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, lemon zest and white wine. Place equal amounts of the cheese mixture on each breast, followed by equal amounts of the steamed spinach. Fold in each end and roll tightly, securing with toothpicks as needed, and placing on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and brush with remaining olive oil. Place in the oven (leaving an oven rack available for the hash) and roast for 45 to 50 minutes, or until internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove stuffed chicken from oven and allow to rest.
• For the tapenade:
• Finely chop olives and plums and combine with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 2 ounces of blue cheese and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• For the Hash:
• In a large oven-safe skillet, add half the oil (1/4 cup) and warm the pan over medium low heat. Add the pieces of blanched asparagus and diced onion, and saute together for about 5 minutes until the asparagus feels cooked to the bite. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl toss the zucchini, diced white potatoes and diced sweet potatoes with the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and season them with salt and pepper. Get a nice even coating of oil on the zucchini and potatoes and place them onto a large roasting tray. Top with the asparagus and onion mixture and place in the oven for 35 to 45 minutes.
• For the Demi-Glace:
• Prepare demi-glace while the chicken and hash are in the oven, by melting the butter over medium heat in a saucepan and sauteing onion until tender. Whisk together cornstarch and red wine to make slurry, and add to onion along with veal stock. Let simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, stirring occasionally.
• Once the hash is complete, toss 2 ounces of blue cheese with warm hash mixture and using a 3-inch circle mold or biscuit cutter as a mold, form a circle of the hash in the center of serving plate. Place stuffed chicken on top of hash, and spoon some of the tapenade onto the chicken breast. Drizzle demi-glace over chicken and hash.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Place chicken in skillet, sprinkle with pepper.
• Add broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 25-30 minutes.
• Remove chicken, cover and keep warm.
• Reserve broth.
• In meantime, wash and cook spinach in the water that clings to leaves.
• Reduce heat when steam forms, cook and toss 3 minute set aside and keep warm.
• For sauce: stir 1 tbsp water with cornstarch and mix it into the broth in skillet.
• Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.
• Cook 2 minutes.
• Add feta cheese and stir until melted.
• To serve, arrange spinach on serving platter, sprinkle with lemon juice, top with chicken and sauce.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Pound chicken to 1/4-in. thickness; brush each with honey. Combine spinach and cheese; place about 2 tablespoons in the center of each chicken breast. Fold long sides over filling; fold ends up and secure with a toothpick. Place, seam side down, in a shallow pan. Cover and refrigerate for several hours. , In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, garlic salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, beat egg and milk. Dredge chicken in flour mixture, dip in egg mixture and roll in bread crumbs. , Heat oil in a deep-fat fryer to 375°. Fry chicken, several rolls at a time, for 1-1/2 minutes or until golden brown. Place in an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove toothpicks before serving.

CHICKEN WITH FLORENTINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Flatten chicken to 1/2-in. thickness. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. , In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons butter for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 170°. Remove and keep warm. , In the same skillet, saute onions in remaining butter for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Gradually add flour and salt; stir in milk and sherry or broth until blended. , Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in spinach and pimientos; heat through. , Remove from the heat. Stir in sour cream until blended. Spoon over chicken; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the chicken breast halves on a baking sheet; bake 20 to 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat, and set aside.
• Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.
• Arrange the spinach over the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish. Cover the spinach with the mushrooms. Pour half the mixture from the saucepan over the mushrooms. Arrange chicken breasts in the dish, and cover with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with bacon bits, and top with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.