My Re-Discovery of Chicken Breast
15 October 2007
I have recently developed a new enthusiasm for chicken breast filets. I actually used to consider them somewhat bland and insipid and I found they often turned out a bit dry, even if only cooking or frying them just long enough to avoid the inner bit being raw. Blaming the chicken breasts of such inferior quality, I never even bothered to buy them anywhere else than the supermarket, thinking it would not make any difference anyway. This proofed to be completely wrong - when I recently tried out a specialty butcher for game and poultry I had to admit that the difference is HUGE. The chicken was soft and tasty and not at all dry. In my enthusiasm I went back there to buy a heap of chicken breasts, which are now occupying my freezer, waiting to be the protagonists in some delicious dishes. Here is one.
Chicken Breast Filets with Spicy Red Peppers
| serves 4 as a main dish |
| 4 chicken breast filets |
| 2 red peppers |
| 2 yellow pepper |
| 2 mid-sized white onions |
| 2 cloves of garlic |
| 40g sesame seeds |
| 3 teaspoons of sweet paprika |
| 1 teaspoon of spicy paprika |
| dried thyme |
| dried marjoram |
| some vegetable stock |
| some olive oil for frying |
| rice as a side dish |
Chop the onion, mash the garlic and sweat them in some olive oil. Slice the peppers and remove stems and seeds; then add them to the saucepan (if necessary, add some additional olive oil) and sauté them for just a few minutes. Season with salt, powder the peppers with the paprika (feel free to vary the quantity according to your taste!) and add the sesame seeds. Stir the ingredients well, then reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Let it simmer for approximately 15 minutes, periodically adding some vegetable stock to keep the peppers moist.
In the meantime season the chicken breasts with salt, thyme and marjoram, rubbing the herbs well into the meat. I sometimes use some garlic powder, too. Place the chicken breasts in a hot frying pan with a little olive oil and fry until roasted on both sides. Don't leave them for too long to avoid their getting too dry. I usually check with a fork if the chicken is still raw inside and take it out as soon as it is done. To add an extra twist to the vegetables I often pour half a glass of water into the frying pan after having removed the chicken, stir with the remainders of the browned chicken and add it to the vegetables.
An average-sized chicken breast should be fine in 5-10 minutes, so including preparation time it should be ready more or less at the same time as the peppers. The latter should also not be cooked for too long so they are softened but still keep their texture and shape - at least this is how I like them best.
As a side dish I prepared some rice, and to accompany the meal I decided to open a bottle of a nice white wine which I had bought on a trip to South Tyrol. With its fresh but spicy taste the Gewürztraminer Baron Salvadori, Nals Margreid 2006 turned out to be a really good match.