Suprêmes de Volaille Orly

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart / 3.8 L heavy pot or Dutch oven for frying
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Instant-read meat thermometer
• •Wire rack set over a rimmed sheet pan
• •2-quart / 1.9 L saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve or immersion blender
• •Spider skimmer or long frying tongs

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the suprêmes

   If any fillet is thicker than ⅝ inch / 1.5 cm, place it between sheets of baking paper and press or tap it gently to an even thickness. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon of the salt, then arrange it in a shallow nonreactive dish with the Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168), olive oil, lemon juice, sliced onion, and parsley stalks. Turn each piece until lightly coated, cover, and refrigerate for exactly 1 hour, turning once halfway through. The lemon should perfume and lightly season the surface, not begin changing the breast's texture through a long soak.

   A suprême is the choice fillet of a poultry breast. Modern breasts are often much larger than the ones assumed by the classical recipe, so evening their thickness preserves the original hard-and-fast frying method.
2. 2

   Reduce the sauce tomate

   While the chicken marinates, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt, then cook gently for 5 minutes until soft and translucent, without browning. Crush in the tomatoes with their juice, add the bay leaf, thyme, and a pinch of white pepper, and simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until concentrated but still pourable. Remove the herbs, blend or press the sauce through a fine sieve, then whisk in the remaining tablespoon of cold butter. If the sauce is thin, reduce it a few minutes longer; if it has tightened too far, loosen it with a spoonful of hot water. Hold it warm over the lowest heat.

3. 3

   Rest the light batter

   Put the flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, and most of the remaining white pepper in a bowl. Whisk the egg yolk with the cold sparkling water and tablespoon of neutral oil, then pour this gradually into the flour, whisking only until no dry pockets remain. A few small lumps do no harm; relentless whisking develops gluten and makes the coating tough. Let the batter rest for 20 minutes while the chicken finishes marinating. Keep the egg white cold for the final fold.

4. 4

   Dry and heat

   Set a wire rack over a rimmed tray. Pour the frying oil into a heavy pot, leaving at least 3 inches / 7.5 cm of empty space above it, and heat to 365°F / 185°C. Lift the chicken from the marinade, scrape away every strand of onion and parsley, and dry both sides thoroughly with clean kitchen towels or absorbent paper. Leave the pieces uncovered on a separate clean rack for 5 minutes while the oil finishes heating. Wet chicken steams beneath the batter and makes the coating slide, so take this drying seriously.

5. 5

   Fry the parsley

   Make certain the leafy parsley sprigs are completely dry. Lower a small handful into the hot oil with a spider, keeping your hands well back, and fry for 5 to 8 seconds, just until crisp and brilliantly green. Lift it immediately to the draining rack and repeat. Damp parsley makes hot oil spit violently; if a sprig feels wet, dry it again before it goes anywhere near the pot.

6. 6

   Fry hard and fast

   Whisk the cold egg white to soft peaks and fold it gently into the rested batter. Dip one suprême at a time, coating it completely, then let the excess fall back into the bowl. The batter should veil the chicken rather than bury it. If it slides away in sheets, stop. Ça se rattrape: scrape off the loose coating, dry the fillet again, dust it with the lightest film of flour taken from the batter bowl's edge, and recoat it. Lower no more than 2 pieces into the oil and fry at 350 to 360°F / 175 to 182°C for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until the coating is puffed and evenly golden and the chicken reaches 165°F / 74°C at its thickest point. Let the oil recover fully before the second batch. If the crust colors before the center is ready, transfer the piece to the rack and finish it for a few minutes in a 375°F / 190°C oven; the next fillet needs to be pressed thinner.

7. 7

   Drain and serve

   Drain each suprême on the rack for 2 minutes and season lightly with the remaining salt while the coating is still glossy. Arrange the four pieces on a warmed oval platter with the fried parsley in small bunches around them. Pour the sauce tomate into a warmed sauceboat and serve it separately, never over the crust. The old napkin caught excess fat but also trapped it beneath the chicken; the rack has already done the useful work. Bring both to the table at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose four small, evenly sized breasts rather than two enormous ones. Technique first: a modest fillet at the correct thickness will stay juicier and fry more cleanly than an expensive breast too thick for the method.
• •Good canned whole tomatoes are the honest choice when ripe field tomatoes aren't available. Reduction gives the sauce its body, and the final butter gives it a soft gloss. We don't apologize for butter.
• •The oil must recover between batches. Crowding lowers its temperature, and cool fat gives a heavy, greasy crust. Fry two suprêmes at most, even if the pot appears to have room for four.
• •Serve with a dry, brisk white wine, such as a young Chablis, and a simple dressed green salad after the main course rather than beneath it. The crisp coating and sauce tomate already provide all the contrast the plate needs.

Advance Preparation

• •The Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) must be prepared through its own entry and cooled completely before it touches the chicken. Measure the small amount required here and keep the remaining finished preparation separately chilled or frozen.
• •The sauce tomate can be made up to 2 days ahead, chilled promptly, and reheated over gentle heat. Whisk in a teaspoon of water if it thickens in the cold.
• •Wash the parsley earlier in the day and leave it spread on clean towels until absolutely dry. This improves both its color and safety when it reaches the frying oil.
• •Do not extend the chicken's marinade beyond 1 hour. The batter base may rest while the chicken marinates, but fold in the whipped egg white only when the oil is hot and you are ready to fry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)