I was watching golf the other day, and the announcer said
that great golfers don’t need lessons, they only need reminders, and I
immediately thought how well that saying applies to cooking. Well, this creamy chicken
toast recipe is both a lesson (aka recipe) and a reminder, and a comforting one
at that.
We’ll get to the recipe, but first, the reminder. Sometimes
even I forget just how simple it is to make a cream sauce by reducing heavy
cream. Almost every “cream sauce” you see is really milk thickened with some
type of starch, usually a roux. These sauces are easy, and delicious, and we’ve
made hundreds of them, but once in a while it’s nice to have the thing those
concoctions are meant to mimic.
If you’re worried this might be too rich for you, keep in
mind that by the time we add all the buttery roux to a milk-based sauce, we’re
getting pretty close to the fat content of this. So, why not just do this with
cream all the time? Cream is way more expensive than milk, and that’s before we
reduce it. How much more? You know the old saying…if you have to ask, use milk.
As far as the recipe goes, I loved how this came out, but it
begs for adaptation, especially when it comes to which diced veggies to toss
in. Just be sure you cooked whatever you’re using before you add the cream, since
once that reduces, your dish is done, still crunchy vegetables, or not. Besides
that, not much can go wrong, and a lot can go right, so I really do hope you
give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 large portions:
2 small or 1 huge chicken breast (12 ounces)
salt to taste
1 tablespoon butter
thinly sliced green onions (the lighter parts)
diced red bell peppers
diced jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons crème fraiche, optional
1 tablespoon freshly chopped tarragon
2 thick slices of toasted bread
