Chicken Breasts Bordelaise

Last night after a long, yet rewarding day, I looked forward to coming home, slipping into my comfiest flannel pyjamas, and cooking the evening meal - which for Thursday was Chicken Breasts Bordelaise.

Creamy tender chicken in a tarragon infused white wine sauce




















Although it's a take off on a classic bordelaise sauce, traditionally made with red wine and bone marrow, my simple version of white wine, chicken stock, mushrooms and tarragon is an absolute winner.

The first time I ever made this was early in my marriage - with the man I married being completely unaccustomed to food that didn't come out of a can or box. To this day, I will never forget going for dinner at his apartment and being served breaded mechanically deboned chicken cutlettes stacked like pancakes on a plate and drizzled with ketchup.

As you can imagine, introducing him to new flavours has become a passion, as has creating a reverence for the comforting ritual of sharing a meal.

We live in a culture that tells us it's wrong to turn to food for comfort, and I think that's a shame.

Because food, like love, is an ultimate source of comfort and sustenance.

We were given taste buds and appetites for a reason.

It's just that over the years as our hectic stress filled lives have gotten busier and busier, people have become disconnected from what good food actually tastes like and have been willing to accept second best.

It is my belief that ingredients like butter and cream are not the things making us fat - rather it is the over abundance of processed food - foods that were created, not by loving hands but massed produced by machines, that are feeding our fat cells instead of our souls.

But how to feed the soul?

Chicken Breasts Bordelaise with Smashed Potatoes and Asparagus is a good place to start.

















A luscious blend of flavours and ingredients that celebrate the comfort of coming home.

For printable recipe click HERE

Ingredients
  • 4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/8 tsp herbes de provence or thyme
  • 3 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1/2-1 pound sliced button mushrooms
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 tsp tarragon *or* 1 bay leaf
Directions
  1. In the morning or previous evening, rub breasts with lemon juice.
  2. Mix salt, pepper, and herbes de provence or thyme on a plate. Roll the breasts in the spices; put in a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
  3. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry breasts until golden on both sides. Remove and place in a deep casserole.
  4. After all the chicken is brown, use the same frying pan and add butter. When hot, add mushrooms and stir; cook 1 minute over high heat.
  5. Add flour and stir until well mixed.
  6. Add stock and wine; cook over medium heat until creamy stirring constanly.
  7. Add tarragon or bay leaf, taste for seasoning.
  8. Pour sauce over chicken.
  9. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 300 F
***

Take the time.

Cook your meals.

Taste, smell, and celebrate flavour.

Most of all, take the steps needed in order to fall in love with your own life - whether that be cooking a beautiful meal or calling an old friend.

It all matters.

We each hold the key to opening our own personal doors of happiness and fulfillment.

And chicken breasts with bordelaise sauce is guaranteed to make everyone happy :-)

Stop by tomorrow for a blog about meal planning for the holidays and a dynamite recipe for beef enchiladas.

Boo!



This recipe is linked to Prairie Story: Recipe Swap Thursday

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Comments

  1. I'm laughing at the chicken cutlets stacked with ketchup. LOL! And I totally agree with you about food. My daughter just got back from spending almost a month in Germany and she said everyone was eating butter and cream and full-fat yogurt and dessert etc. and no one is overweight. They eat little to no processed food though...... Great post and your chicken looks fabulous!! Much better than stacked chicken cutlets. ;o) Thanks for visiting my blog today! Have a lovely weekend.

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  2. I totally agree, I see nothing wrong in enjoying food and receiving comfort for it. These days people treat food like it is medicine and that upsets me. Like making bread is evil or something. Well if it is, I am the biggest evil witch in the world! I can totally live with that.

    That chicken dinner looks absolutely divine! My husband was not used to eating foods with lots of onion and garlic. Well he is used to it by now!

    So nice to meet you! I am glad we connected! So curious as to where in Canada you are. Wherever it is, I hope you are getting better weather than we are right now.

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  3. this looks very delicious:) thanks for sharing.

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  4. Hi Brenda :-) I LOVED your blog and am looking forward to getting new ideas about food and recipes from my fellow foodies. That is so interesting about your daughter and validates, again, my need to continue "cleaning" up the things we eat. It's tough sometimes, though.

    Hi Suzie!! Great to see you...

    Loved this: "These days people treat food like it is medicine and that upsets me. Like making bread is evil or something. Well if it is, I am the biggest evil witch in the world! I can totally live with that."

    Me too! Or the idea that nothing, bread, rice, whatever should be white. Some sandwiches are just better on white bread!

    I am on Vancouver Island. A few years ago we did a summer holiday to the maritimes. I absolutely loved it and hope to get back one day. Looking forward to getting to know you too :-)

    Thanks Kitchen Diaries!

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  5. HI there! Wanted to let you know that your slow cooker beef stroganoff is simmering as we speak/type! It smells HEAVENLY!!! I know you won't mind and will probably appreciate that my sweet hubby (who put this together while I was at a baby shower) can't leave a recipe as is so added a splash of sherry and a splash of madiera. Dinner for 2 is going to be wonderful tonight!!!! Tomorrow, maybe these chicken breasts that also sound divine!!!!!!!!!!!!! XO, Pinky Wish you had smellovision:):)

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  6. Pinky, let me know how these additions turned out and I'll them as "Joe's suggestions" to the blog :-)

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  7. Yum, one taste of this and I could feel like I'm sitting in a French restaurant enjoying comfort food at its best. Nothing wrong with a little indulgence.

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  8. You are so right Lisa :-)

    I have to tell you, this is one of those recipes you start to obsess over, especially when stressed. It is the ulitmate comfort dish!

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  9. I have to say, this sounds delicious. But I have a question about the chicken (any chicken) breasts. I buy the boneless chicken breasts from the store, and it's the chicken I use in ALL of my cooking (I've never in my life been a fan of dark meat on a bird). You said to use the whole piece, but I find that when I do that I can't eat it. There's this white thing, a tendon or something, that usually runs through the breast pieces, and I can't use the chicken until it's cut out. Do you do that, too, or am I just a freak?

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  10. I know what you're talking about Jaime. Actually, I usually cut that out. Try this recipe - especially good if having company over.

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