Chicken with Normandy Sauce & a Potato Mash with lemon zest and chives

[Frozzie]

Name of Recipe: Chicken with Normandy Sauce and potato mash with lemon zest and chives

Number of People: 4

Ingredients:

40-50g butter
4 chicken breast fillet pieces (680g) I used 5 as they were quite small
60g of white cooking wine (dry white)
20g cognac
250g button mushrooms known as champignons de paris over here, sliced
250ml of creme fraiche or sour cream in oz
1 tablespoon of fresh chives
1 tablespoon of flat leaf parsely
250ml of chicken stock (or whatever stock you have)
a tablespoon of cornflour mixed with a little water to make a paste if you find the sauce isnt thick enough for your liking


Preparation:

Put herbs in bowl and chop for a few seconds on speed 4 or turbo about twice (I forgot to do this so just finely chopped them by hand).  Mix into the cream in a seperate bowl and set aside (keep in fridge until needed).

Prepare the chicken breast fillets and place them on the varoma tray lined with a piece of moistened baking paper.  Season each breast with a little salt and pepper and cover with lid ready to cook.

Put the butter and the sliced mushrooms in the bowl (doesnt need to be exact, I actually added more mushrooms) and cook for 5 mins, 100°, speed soft or 1, and on reverse so you dont mush up the mushrooms.

Put the wine, cognac into the bowl with 250ml stock and put the lid and varoma in place and cook on varoma temp, for 12 mins, speed 1, reverse.  Check the chicken after this time also as mine were slightly frozen or very cold at least so may have extended cooking time..but I found the extra time was almost perfect maybe just a minute less.

Remove the varoma temporarily to add the cream and herbs and cook for a further 6-7 mins on varoma, speed 1, reverse always.  Dont forget to reput the varoma and chicken back on top before restarting the cooking time.
Chicken should be cooked but double check its cooked to your liking, I think it could have even gone one minute less (so 6 mins as I did 7) but it was fine.

If not reduced enough or not as thick as you like just add some cornflour mixed with a little water to thicken.  I added a tablespoon with a little water to make a paste then added and mixed it around with a spoon and didnt need to cook any further as it thickened straight away and was just how I like it.

While this is cooking I prepared the mash potato which I did on the stove and usually add cream and a little cubed butter, mash it all up and then added the zest of one lemon and a handful of finely chopped chives (I cut them up with kitchen scissors) and mix it through.  You could do it in the thermomix beforehand but I find its quicker to make it while the thermomix is cooking the chicken...if only I had another thermomix hihi or at least another bowl!

Serve with the mashed potatoes and I cut the chicken breast cut in thick slices crossways layed on the mash and covered in sauce...mmm bon appetit!

The recipe was converted roughly from a recipe from a cookbook I have in french called Vite Fait Vite Pret by Marabout.


members' comments

Nik2WIN - I cooked this and thought it was absolutely delicious.  DS1 & DS3 loved it (DS3 is not yet 3 yrs old and yet he still helped me make it)  It took me around 40 minutes from start to finish to make so perfect for a midweek meal and yet tasted gourmet enough for a dinner party. DS2 refused to try it - he might change his mind later when he's REALLY hungry. Definitely a make again. Many, many thanks.

rainbow - We had this dish last night and it was a certain hit, I served it with smashed potatoes and veg and we all enjoyed, thanks.

CarolineW - made it and enjoyed it

CP - it got the 'thumbs up' from everyone. We all thought the sauce was to die for. We obviously don't have small chicken breasts like you can get in France, so I just halved mine to make them thinner as they weighed the same as yours and I could only buy 2 big thick ones. I had heaps of herbs and reserved a tablespoon to put in with the potato mash. We didn't have cognac and a big bottle cost about $60 but apparently brandy is a close match as it is a matter of being 'regional' or something along those lines. This gets the tick from me and thank you so much for posting it.

Hally -Absolutely delicious, a hit with us all. I used 2 chicken breast & halved them. Didn't have cognac so used brandy. Did use creme fraiche. So easy, so quick  5/5 from all of us. I served with steam broccolini & carrots. I cooked the chicken in the final stage for 6 minutes & it was perfect. Thank you Frozzie.
 

[Very Happy Jan]

Yum Frozzie. This sounds like my type of comfort food. Thanks for the recipe 

[chris4carol]

Dear Kim/Frozzie
Sounds wonderful! Will give it a go over the next few days. I am new to this, but love my machine already. I just need to build confidence to adapt my recipe books to the machine.
Thank you so much.
Carol

[judydawn]

My sort of food too Frozzie, thanks indeed.  This looks like what I had for dinner last night when I went out with a Carers' group except they wrapped the chicken in proscuitto.

[trudy]

Thanks Frozzie - Looks and sounds great!!!

[cookie1]

Yum. Thank you. We eat a lot of chicken.

[achookwoman]

Thanks Frozzie,  sounds delicious.   Looked at your Blog, lovely.  Tried to join.  I will get there.

[Nik2WIN]

Mmmm sounds lovely - better bookmark this as one to add!

Many thanks

Nik

[Frozzie]

Thanks Frozzie,  sounds delicious.   Looked at your Blog, lovely.  Tried to join.  I will get there.

you succeeded..i can see you in the list 

[Frozzie]

thanks and will be interested on feedback once someone cooks it also...i was on a roll with new recipes but thermie will be out of action for a couple of weeks so new posts will have to wait...snif  but at least i will get him back all better even though its nothing major or at least I hope so..!

[judydawn]

Blow it, I was enjoying your blog too 

[Frozzie]

yes very frustrating JD...I really need a second backup machine (think DH would shoot me if I told him I need two lol)..nevermind..ill be back in full force as soon as thermie is back all well!

[quirkycooking]

That looks lovely, Frozzie! 

[achookwoman]

Frozzie,  never mind about the TMX.  Just sit and look out the window in that beautiful part of France where you live.

[Frozzie]

im trying acw..really I am but at the moment im not even motivated to cook anything (and thats not me) as I really miss my buddy thermie..pretty strange how much effect one little machine can effect our lives...still occupied today as DS is home sick..teacher called this morning to say he had thrown up so fun times ahead..sun is out though on a positive note lol  and I always have  little miss DD to keep me occupied pretty much all the hours she isnt sleeping