Chicken Breasts au Poivre
September 15, 2008
When I am in the mood for chicken, and looking for something that is quick, yet elegant, I always turn to this recipe. “Chicken breasts au Poivre”, (pronounced o-pwäv) in french, meaning grilled steak with crushed peppercorns. Here it is combined with sweet madeira and cream to make a fabulous sauce. Peppercorns, both pink (sweet and spicy) and black (strong aroma with heat) have a nice spicy impact to these chicken breasts, while the madeira wine and cream balances it out perfectly. I like to serve this with fresh asparagus and egg noodles, reserving some of the sauce for the noodles, of course. My source for this recipe is a Sunset “Quick Cuisine” cookbook, that I have had since 1990. Please enjoy!
For more “au Poivre” recipes click here.
- 2 Whole chicken breasts (about 1 lb. each), skinned, boned and split
- 1 tsp. crushed black peppercorns
- 4 tsp. crushed pink peppercorns
- 2 to 3 tbsp. butter or margarine
- 1/2 cup Madeira or dry sherry
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves or 1/4 tsp. crushed dry rosemary
- Rosemary sprigs (optional)
Place chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap. With a flat-surfaced mallet, pound chicken until about 1/4″ thick. Sprinkle each side with 1/8 tsp. of the black peppercorns, and 1/2 tsp. of the pink peppercorns; lightly pound peppercorns into chicken.
In a wide frying pan, melt 2 tbsp. butter over high heat. Add chicken breasts; do not crowd. Cook turning once, until meat in thickest part is no longer pink when slashed (about 1 minute total). Lift out
and transfer to a warm platter; keep warm. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked, adding butter as needed.
Stir madeira into pan, scraping brown bits free. Add cream and rosemary leaves. Boil, stirring often until reduced by half. Pour over chicken. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.
Serves: 4
Total time: 45 minutes
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- Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Rosemary Sauce
- Garlic and Lemon Marinated Chicken Breasts With Gnocchi and Sage Butter Sauce
- Lupita’s Grilled Chicken Breasts with White Sauce Poblano
