Pan Seared Chicken & Mushrooms in Pan Sauce, Lemon Garlic Green Beans and Porcini Mushroom Risotto.
Ingredients
2 large boneless skin on chicken breasts
1 lb. green beans cut/cleaned
4 cloves garlic minced
4 medium shallots - 2 minced & 2 chopped
1 cup thick sliced white mushrooms
.7oz or 20g dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/8 cup of short grained Arborio rice (I just use Japanese Rice)
¾ teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves only
2 stalks scallion thinly diced
3.5 cups chicken stock
1.25 cups reserve porcini mushroom water
1.5 cups dry vermouth or drinkable white wine
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (the real stuff)
1 lemon
1 large bay leaf
1 stick of butter on hand
fresh ground pepper
salt
vegetable oil
olive oil
1 stainless steel pan large enough to fit the chicken & capable of being put in the oven
1 heavy saute pan large enough to cook the risotto in
3 saucepans
Time - About 1 hour
Check out the videos below, watch ‘em a bunch & get used to the processes! We’re going to improve on both of these recipes.
Mushroom and Chicken Tutorial
Basic Risotto Tutorial
This should be done in order so that everything finishes at the same time. Be sure you have all of the necessary prep work (vegetables chopped, chicken cleaned/pat dry, everything ready to get used = Mise en place
Preheat oven to 375 F
Bring 1.25 cups water to a boil. Pour boiling water into a bowl with the dried porcini mushrooms to reconstitute them. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. Removed the shrooms and squeeze excess water back in to the bowl. Reserve the water. Mince the mushrooms.
Bring 4 cups of water to a roiling boil and blanch the green beans for about 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain and shock the beans in cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside until later.
Add the porcini shroom water to the chicken stock in a saucepan. Be sure NOT to pour off all the sediment/sand at the bottom of the reserved porcini mushroom water into the stock. You’ll see it. Leave that crunch out. Bring the liquid to a boil, then take off the flame and set aside.
Salt and pepper all sides of the chicken breasts. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the oven ready pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, place chicken in skin side down. Brown both sides, about 5 minutes per side.
Start working on the risotto (below) as the chicken cooks. When the chicken is browned on both sides, add in the 1 cup sliced mushrooms to the pan with the chicken. Add in a pinch of salt to help draw out the water in the mushrooms. There should be enough oil to coat everything. Saute the mushrooms for about 5 more minutes. Then stick the pan in a 375 F oven for about 15 minutes or until the chicken registers an internal temperature of 160F. Continue making the risotto below.
At the same time, add in minced shallots & porcini shrooms to 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy saute pan over medium heat. Sweat the veggies for 5 minutes. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp. pepper & ¾ tsp. thyme. Cook for another 2 min. Add the dry, uncooked rice. Incorporate the rice ensuring all grains are coated in the olive oil. Add more oil if necessary. Toast the rice for about 2 minutes. Add in 1 cup of dry vermouth or white wine to the rice. Stir often & reduce liquid until almost evaporated. Then add in 2 ladles of the hot chicken/porcini stock. Stir often, only adding more liquid in until the previous amount is evaporated or sucked up. Start finishing the green beans below. Repeat the process until the rice is between al dente and cooked texture with a soft crunch. Finish the risotto off by folding in the fresh thyme, scallions, grated parmesan, and 1-2 tbsp. butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tsbp. of olive oil to a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add in the green beans and saute for about 5 minutes. Add in 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 tbsp. fresh thyme. Cook for another 2 min. making sure the garlic does not brown. Grate in some lemon zest and add the juice from ½ the lemon. Salt and pepper to taste.
When the chicken is done, take the pan out of the oven. Reserve the chicken and let the breat rest. Add in the remaining chopped shallots to the pan with the mushrooms over high heat on the stove top. Sweat the vegetables until all of the liquid has evaporated leaving a caramelized fond at the bottom of the pan. Be sure not to burn the fond/crust… We want it the chicken/shroom/onion liquids to brown though and stick to the pan.
Add in ½ cup of dry vermouth or white wine to the pan and deglaze by scraping up all the bits of fond off the bottom. Simmer the vermouth until is almost all evaporated. Add in the remaining .5 cup of chicken stock to the veggies. Reduce by half. Salt and pepper to taste. Add in a 1-2 tbsp. of butter to finish off the sauce and let it emulsify. You can add the chicken back in to the pan and take it off the heat, prepared to serve.
- And I think that’s it… just read this a bunch and realize that you’ll probably have a mini freak out at the end when the beans, chicken sauce, and risotto finish. Stir that risotto!
