Chicken with a Fondue Top

Chicken with Fondue Sauce

Inspired by the series on cheeses of the world, I prepared this amazing chicken breast with a dripping cheese similar in consistency to a fondue-a Franco Suisse speciality. It was simple and elegant. 

While it may not be perfect for a warm summer day, it would work really well for days in cold winters. Served with a nice salad like Panzanella or a warm ratatouille and a glass of wine, the meal could be embraced with warmth and foodie fervor.

                               Caramelised chicken breast on a cheese sauce and grilled 

                                             with a topping of cheese to serve

Serves 6

6 chicken breasts with bone and skin on
65 g/ 2 oz salted butter
3 large cloves of garlic sliced in halves
6 rashers smoked meat with little fat attached and not streaky
1 1/2 tbsp strong Dijon mustard
1 cup sweet Muscato wine
3/4th cup full cream

Salt and pepper to season

200-250g/ 8oz grated Comte` cheese

In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the garlic. Add the smoked meat and cook until soft. Take out and set aside. Skip this step if using an already cooked smoked meat. 

Turn the flame on high. Once it is hot and sizzling, add the chicken skin side down.

Continue to cook on a high heat for 3 to 5 minutes until the skin is brown and crisped up. Season with salt. Turn over and continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and place the chicken on a board to rest for 5 minutes. 

Slit the breast through the middle just enough for it to open like a book. Season with pepper. Put the raw side down and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove to the board. Check how long more the chicken needs further to be cooked. Put each slice of bacon in the centre of the chicken. Close the chicken firmly and use toothpicks if necessary. Let it rest. 

Prepare the sauce while the chicken is resting. Add the wine to the pan to deglaze. Add the mustard and cream and whisk until smooth. 

On a low heat, return the chicken to the pan. Cook until it is just cooked through—tender and juicy. Generously place the Comte` cheese on each piece of chicken breast. Broil this until it melts under the broiler or by covering the lid of the pan at a very low simmer. 

Serve immediately.

Tips

Chicken breasts must be similar in size for an even cook.

If they are too thick, the cooking time will increase. Do not over cook your chicken. It will be dry and tasteless. 

Using a mix of green, pink, white, and black peppercorns gives it a delightful taste.

It is best to use prepared Dijon mustard.

Adding the leftover rinds of the Comte` cheese gives an additional creamy texture and flavour to the sauce. 

Photography courtesy Niloufer Mavalvala

 

My published cookbooks are available for sale through myself and on amazon.

The World of Parsi Cooking: Food Across Borders is a 3 award winning book. It has been self published in July 2019 and will be going into its second print in 2022. 

The Art of Parsi Cooking; reviving an ancient cuisine was published in 2016 by Austin Macauley and continues to be available through amazon book depot book depository and from the publishers.