Add Sean's Decadent Chicken Recipe

Author: SeanDougherty

chicken-morel-sunchoke-in-pan-sauce.md

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+# Sean's Chicken breast, Morels, and Sunchoke in a Creamy Pan Sauce
+
+I just made this last night after picking up random things from WholeFoods I'd never tried before. It turned out so good, I needed to write it down somewhere.
+
+## Tools
+```
+Stainless steel pan - (for generating fond for pan sauce)
+Wooden spatula - (for scraping fond off pan)
+A spatula or tongs - (for flipping and moving chicken)
+Rice cooker (or some method for cooking rice)
+Chef's knife
+Garlic press - (helps, but not necessary)
+Vegetable peeler
+Small sauce pan
+(optional) a cooking thermometer - (for checking for doneness)
+```
+
+## Ingredients
+```
+Olive oil (or another neutral cooking oil)
+1 Large/thick Chicken Breast (or two thin chicken breast)
+1 medium onion
+6 cloves of garlic
+2 tbsp of italian Parsley leaves
+3-4 spring/green onions
+1 cup of morel mushrooms
+1 Sunchoke
+1 Tbsp of Butter
+1/4-1/2 cup of pecorino romano
+1/2 cup of heavy cream
+a pinch of saffron (5-7 stems)
+1 tbsp of dried oregano
+2 Cups of Jasmine rice
+Salt
+Pepper
+```
+
+
+## Directions
+---------
+<br>
+
+### Prepping the ingredients
+
+<br>
+
+```
+Stainless steel pan
+Small sauce pan
+Chef's Knife
+Vegetable Peeler
+Garlic press
+1 Sunchoke
+1 Chicken Breast
+6 cloves of garlic
+1 cup of morel mushrooms
+2 tbsp of italian Parsley leaves
+1 medium onion
+```
+
+
+Start preheating stainless steel pan on low heat.
+
+Fill a small sauce-pan with enough water to par-boil your sunchoke, and begin bringing it to a boil. Do not add the sunchoke yet!
+
+Slice the chicken breast horizontally with the chef's knife to create two thinner chicken breasts. Salt and pepper all sides of the two breasts and set aside to dry brine.
+
+Peel your sunchoke with the vegetable peeler. 
+
+Peel your 6 cloves of garlic, smash 2 cloves just enough to begin releasing the garlic scent, either mince or use a garlic press on the other 4 cloves and set aside.
+
+Chop your medium onion and parsley (the finer the better, but a rough chop will do).
+
+Rough chop your morel mushrooms. If morels are wet, pat dry.
+
+Check the heat of your pan w/ a drop of water. Adjust up or down according to this [guide](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB-SCA1reqE). 
+
+-------
+
+<br>
+
+### Cooking the chicken
+
+<br>
+
+```
+Chicken filets
+A spatula or tongs to flip chicken
+(optional) a cooking thermometer to check for doneness
+Olive oil (or another neutral cooking oil)
+1 Tbsp of Butter
+2 smashed cloves of garlic
+1 sunchoke
+```
+
+Once your pan is to temp, add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan.
+
+Add 1 tbsp of butter directly on top of the oil. Lift and tilt the pan to coat the entire surface with the oil mixture.
+
+Add your 2 smashed garlic cloves to the pan and move them around for ~30 seconds to let the oil infuse with the garlic
+
+Add the sunchoke, whole and peeled to your water which is hopefully boiling by now.
+
+Lay your chicken breast filets into the hot oil, and let cook for 2 minutes per side (4 minutes total). Refuse the temptation to check the chicken or to move the chicken. 
+
+Lower the heat to low and continue to cook the chicken, now covered, for 3 minutes on each side (6 minutes total). 
+
+_note: If small amounts of the filet's crust are sticking to the pan, this is good, this is the fond that we will use to make the pan sauce_
+
+Either by touch or by temperature, check that the chicken is cooked through.
+
+Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
+
+Remove the garlic cloves from the pan and toss them in the trash.
+
+Remove the sunchoke from the water and set on your cutting board.
+
+--------
+
+<br>
+
+### Creating the sauce
+
+<br>
+
+```
+Wooden Spatula
+Salt
+Pepper
+1/4-1/2 cup of pecorino romano
+1/2 cup of heavy cream
+a pinch of saffron (5-7 stems)
+2 tbsp of roughly chopped parsley
+1 tbsp of dried oregano
+1 cup of water
+1 medium onion, chopped
+1 sunchoke, sliced and quartered
+1 cup of chopped morel mushrooms
+```
+
+Cut your sunchoke into 1/4" slices; then, quarter the larger slices and halve the smaller slices.
+
+Increase the heat to medium-medium-high.
+
+Add the morel to your pan and toss them around enough to coat them in the oil mixture.
+
+Add your sunchoke to the pan and toss to coat.
+
+Be sure to not overcrowd the pan in order to avoid steaming the mushrooms and sunchoke.
+
+Continue to cook the sunchoke and morel until light browning begins to occur on the edges of the sunchoke.
+
+_note: The more you move and disturb the contents of the pan, the longer it will take to brown the sunchoke and the mushier the sunchoke will become._
+
+Lower the heat to low.
+
+Add another 1 tbsp of butter to the pan.
+
+Add chopped onions to the pan, toss, and continue cooking until translucent.
+
+Once onions are transluscent, add minced garlic to the pan, toss, and cook for another 45 seconds
+
+Add 1 cup of water
+
+Add the parsley and the oregano.
+
+Using your wooden spatula, scrape the bottom of the pan to release the fond.
+
+If needed, lower the heat so it is just a moderate simmer. 
+
+Add the saffron to the sauce.
+
+Let the sauce simmer until it's reduced by half (7-10min).
+
+Reduce the heat to low.
+
+Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and stir to incorporate
+
+Add 1/4-1/2 cup of pecorino romano (or parmesan) and stir to incorporate
+
+Add in black pepper and salt to taste (likely will need very little salt b/c of the pecorino)
+
+Turn off the heat.
+
+Re-add the chicken filets to the sauce so they can begin to absorb the flavors of the sauce.
+
+Cover the pan.
+
+-----------
+
+<br>
+
+### Cooking the rice
+
+<br>
+
+```
+2 Cups of Jasmine rice
+3 cups of water
+3-4 spring/green onions
+Rice cooker
+```
+
+Rinse your rice and add it to the rice cooker
+
+Add 3 cups of water to the rice cooker and cook according to your cooker's instructions
+
+_note: For instant pot, I do a 7 minute manual, High pressure, cook with a 10min natural release._
+
+Slice the onion into a garnish.
+
+------
+
+
+<br>
+
+### Plating
+
+<br>
+
+```
+Plates
+Serving spoon for rice
+Tongs for chicken
+Chef's knife for chicken
+Serving spoon for sauce
+```
+
+When the rice is almost done cooking, turn the sauce's heat back on low to loosen back up any sauce that may have begun to thicken.
+
+Once the rice is done cooking, add rice to your plate.
+
+Take a filet from the pan and slice it into strips on your cutting board.
+
+Place the sliced filet on your plate next to your rice.
+
+Spoon a good helping of the sauce onto the chicken.
+
+Sprinkle the onion onto your rice for garnish.
+
+Enjoy!