Friday, November 4, 2011

Peppercorn Chicken

Did I ever mention my husband is working nights again? It's true. It means there are a lot of chicken breast recipes in this blog's future. Chicken breast is, in my opinion, the easiest thing to cook for one person, with the most opportunities for variety. Today's option: Peppercorn chicken.

I found this Food Network recipe hiding in my files of torn-out magazine pages and even though it was step-heavy and time-consuming, I thought, you know what, I'm worth the effort!

Start by brushing dijon mustard all over the entire chicken breast.

Salt and pepper each side (mmmmm raw chicken!) and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the chicken in olive oil; when each side is browned, place the chicken in a baking dish and cook until cooked through.

 Meanwhile, start the sauce. I will give you this tip right off the bat: I ran out of brandy and I do wish I'd used more...so make sure your brandy is stocked!

Anyway, the sauce starts with olive oil, shallots and I added a little garlic. Saute until soft, then remove from the heat and add 1/3 cup of brandy (I halved the recipe for one person) and 1/3 chicken broth (also halved for me). Return to the heat and bring to a boil, cook until slightly thickened.

 Add another 2 tablespoons of dijon mustard; I whisked it in and topped off with some parsley.

And top your chicken with the sauce.

Now, I know that sauce looks pretty much disgusting in my photo....this is partially because mine got TOO thick, and partially because it looks like baby poop. Ignore that last comment, because this is a tasty, flavorful dish. I love peppercorn flavor in general, but this packs a wallop. 

In other news, my husband is going camping this weekend, so I'm looking forward to getting some cleaning done. Growing up really messes with your brain, doesn't it?

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