Seared Organic Chicken Breasts with Morel Mushroom & English Pea Risotto

Serves 4

Dale Norris

ingredients

Chicken Breasts
4 bone-in, skin-on organic chicken breasts
1 tsp (5 mL) thyme
1 tsp (5 mL) white pepper
1 tsp (5 mL) roasted garlic purée
1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil, plus extra
Sauce
2 tsp (10 mL) butter
1 1/2 shallots, diced
1/4 cup (60 mL) white wine
1 cup (250 mL) demi-glaze or 2 cups (500 mL) beef stock reduced by half
Lemon
English Pea Risotto
1 1/4 cup (310 mL) English peas or snap peas
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter, plus 1 tbsp (15 mL)
1/3 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
8 oz (250 g) Arborio rice
1/2 cup (125 mL) white wine
3 1/4 cup (810 mL) chicken stock approximately (or more)
Sea salt
White pepper
1 3/4 cups (425 mL) morels, cleaned and cooked in butter and shallots
1/4 cup (60 mL) grated Parmesan

directions

1
Combine thyme, pepper, garlic and
2
2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil in a mixing bowl, whisking to incorporate. Combine olive oil mixture and chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag and toss to coat. Marinate the chicken breasts in a refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
3
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Heat remaining oil in an ovenproof skillet set over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and sear in skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until cooked.
4
Sauce:
5
Melt butter in a skillet set over medium heat; add shallots and sauté. Deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce by half. Add demi-glaze and heat until mixture reaches a sauce consistency. Add a generous squeeze of lemon.
6
English Pea Risotto:
7
If you use English peas, you will need to shuck them. For snap peas, you can peel off the thread on both sides and nip off the top. Blanch in boiling salted water for 1 to 2 minutes (depending on the maturity of the peas; the more mature they are, the more blanching they’ll need). Shock in ice cold water to help set the colour.
8
Melt butter in a skillet set over medium heat; add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat each grain in butter. Add white wine. Add chicken stock in 1/6 intervals, stirring continuously. Season with sea salt and white pepper. Continue to cook until al dente. About 15 minutes after the start of the risotto, fold in the peas and morels. Cook for another 5 minutes. Finish with the remaining butter and the Parmesan. Check seasoning. The final risotto should have good flavour, be al dente in texture, and slightly loose in consistency.