Suprêmes de Volaille Hongroise

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •2-quart (2 L) saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
• •1-quart (1 L) saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •1½-quart (1.4 L) shallow serving dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the concassée

   For fresh tomato concassée, score the tomatoes, lower them into boiling water for about 20 seconds, then cool them immediately in cold water. Peel, halve, remove the seeds, and chop the flesh roughly. If using canned whole tomatoes, drain them well before chopping. Leave the concassée in a sieve while you cook; the word means roughly chopped, but the draining matters because wet tomato turns distinct pilaff grains heavy.

2. 2

   Cook the pilaff

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the unsalted butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add two-thirds of the onion and ½ teaspoon of the salt, then cook for 3 minutes without letting the onion color. Add the rice and nacrez it, coating each grain in butter until it glistens and the edges look pearly, about 2 minutes. Pour in the 1½ cups of hot stock, add the bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn the heat to its lowest setting, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes. If a grain is still chalky, add 2 tablespoons of the stock reserved for the sauce, cover, and rest for another 5 minutes; if the rice looks wet, uncover it over low heat for 2 minutes.

3. 3

   Build Sauce Hongroise

   While the pilaff rests, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the remaining onion and cook until soft but colorless, about 3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, stir in 1 teaspoon of the paprika for 15 seconds, then stir in the flour. Return it to low heat and cook for 1 minute without browning. Gradually whisk in ¾ cup of the sauce stock, reserving the remainder, then simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes until the sauce lightly coats a spoon. If it turns lumpy, stop adding liquid and whisk off the heat until smooth, then continue; the final sieve catches any stubborn bits. Ça se rattrape. Strain the Sauce Hongroise and keep it warm.

4. 4

   Sauté the suprêmes

   Season the dry suprêmes just before cooking with the remaining 2 teaspoons paprika, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the white pepper. Heat the clarified butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until fluid and glossy. Lay in the chicken without crowding, working in two batches if necessary, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes without disturbing it. Turn, lower the heat slightly, and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the thickest part reaches 160°F (71°C); it will rise to 165°F (74°C) while resting. Transfer the suprêmes to a warm plate for 5 minutes. If the paprika film turns black rather than deep copper, lift the chicken at once, wipe the skillet when safe, and finish at lower heat. Keep the chicken, lose the burnt fond.

   Paprika is not a high-heat searing spice. Medium heat gives the chicken color while protecting the sweet, peppery fragrance that defines the dish.
5. 5

   Swill the pan

   Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cold cream. Pour the rest into the chicken skillet while it is still hot, scraping up every amber trace of fond, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the strained Sauce Hongroise and any juices from the resting chicken, then simmer gently until the sauce naps the back of a spoon and runs from it in a broad ribbon. If it tightens too far, add the reserved sauce stock a spoonful at a time. If it looks greasy, pull it off the heat and whisk in the reserved cold cream until the sauce comes together. Taste and correct the salt.

6. 6

   Dish and coat

   Remove the bay leaf and fluff the pilaff with a fork. Fold in the well-drained tomato concassée without crushing the grains, cover, and let it warm through for 2 minutes. Spoon the pilaff into a warmed shallow serving dish and shape it into a low, generous mound, the home equivalent of the shallow timbale. Set the suprêmes on the rice and coat them generously with Sauce Hongroise, allowing a little sauce to pool around the pilaff. Bring the remaining sauce to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use sweet Hungarian paprika, not smoked paprika. Hongroise rests on paprika's warm fruitiness; smoke sends the dish somewhere the source never intended. If the jar has been open so long that the powder smells dusty, replace it.
• •The source assumes a finished Sauce Hongroise waiting beside the stove. Making only the amount needed from onion, paprika, flour, and stock removes the brigade scaffolding while preserving the roux, reduction, and cream finish that give the sauce its body.
• •Choose four chicken breasts of similar size and even their thick ends gently before cooking. An instant-read thermometer earns its place here because the paprika darkens before the interior can tell you whether the chicken is done.
• •When ripe tomatoes are unavailable, use good canned whole tomatoes, drained, seeded if necessary, and roughly chopped. The classical pantry solved poor seasons long ago; an honest preserved tomato is better than a pale fresh one.
• •A dry Alsace Pinot Gris has enough body for the cream and enough freshness for the paprika. Serve the dish immediately, while the sauce still flows and the pilaff grains remain distinct.

Advance Preparation

• •The tomato concassée can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, drained well, covered, and chilled.
• •The Sauce Hongroise base can be cooked and strained up to 2 days ahead, before the cream and chicken-pan fond are added. Cool it promptly, cover and chill it, then reheat gently with a spoonful of its reserved stock.
• •The suprêmes can be trimmed and evened up to 4 hours ahead, but season them with paprika only when the skillet is ready. Paprika left on damp chicken turns pasty and colors unevenly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)