Suprêmes de Volaille à l’Orientale

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy sauté pan with a lid
• •2-quart (2-liter) heavy saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Heatproof 1-cup liquid measure

Instructions

1. 1

   Shape and bloom

   Cut four lengthwise chayote slabs about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick. Remove the soft seed and trim each slab into roughly the same oval outline as a chicken suprême, saving the trimmings for soup. Warm 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the stock, crush the saffron lightly between your fingers, and leave it to bloom in the stock for at least 10 minutes. Pat the chicken very dry and gently press any unusually thick ends to an even depth so all four pieces sauté at the same rate.

   The chow-chow in this formula is fresh chayote, also sold as christophine or chouchou. It is not the pickled relish bearing the same English name.
2. 2

   Parboil and stew

   Bring about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water to a boil in a wide sauté pan and add 1 tablespoon (18 g) of the salt. Lower in the chayote slabs and parboil for 5 to 7 minutes, until a knife enters the surface but meets firm resistance at the center. Drain and dry them, then empty the pan. Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter in it, return the chayote, and add ⅓ cup (80 ml) of stock with a small pinch of the remaining salt. Cover and stew gently for 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover and let the liquid reduce until the slabs are tender, intact, and glossed with butter. Transfer them to a covered warm plate and wipe out the pan.

3. 3

   Build Sauce Suprême

   Melt 1½ tablespoons (22 ml / 21 g) of butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour and cook this blond roux for 2 minutes without letting it color; it should smell faintly of warm biscuits, never raw flour. Whisk in ¾ cup (180 ml) of stock a little at a time, smoothing each addition before adding the next. Hold it at a bare simmer for 5 minutes, then add the cream and cook gently until the Sauce Suprême nappes, or coats, the back of a spoon in an even ivory layer. Season lightly with salt and white pepper, remembering that the chicken fond and tomato are still to come. Keep it warm over the lowest heat.

4. 4

   Sauté the suprêmes

   Season the dry chicken with the remaining salt and white pepper. Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of butter in the wiped sauté pan over medium heat. When the foam subsides, lay in the suprêmes with their smooth presentation sides down. Sauté without disturbing them for 4 to 5 minutes, until evenly golden, then turn and cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, spooning the butter over them, until the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C). Move them to a warm plate and rest for 5 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of stock to the pan, scrape up the golden fond, and reduce it to about 1 tablespoon (15 ml).

5. 5

   Set the exact ratio

   Whisk the reduced chicken fond and the saffron infusion into the Sauce Suprême. Let it simmer very gently until smooth, then measure or judge the volume before the final butter: it should be a scant cup, about 225 ml. If there is more, reduce it gently; if there is less, add reserved stock a teaspoon at a time. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) butter, giving approximately 1 cup (240 ml) of finished Sauce Suprême. Whisk in the ¼ cup (60 ml) tomato purée, exactly one quarter of the sauce by volume. Return it to the lowest heat only long enough to become glossy and hot. Do not boil. If the sauce turns oily at the edge, remove it from the heat and whisk in 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cold water, beginning at the clear edge and working inward. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Dish and coat

   If the chayote has cooled, return it to the empty sauté pan with a teaspoon of reserved stock and warm it briefly. Arrange one thick slab on each warmed plate and settle a suprême directly on top, matching their long edges. Spoon the saffron-tomato Sauce Suprême generously over each breast so it coats the chicken and pools lightly around the chayote. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose chayotes that are firm, pale green, and unwrinkled. Their flavor is deliberately mild here because they carry the butter and sauce without competing with the chicken.
• •Use unsalted chicken stock with a clean poultry flavor. A dark roasted stock or salty bouillon muddies Sauce Suprême, which should remain delicate beneath the tomato and saffron.
• •Use saffron threads, not a powdered blend. The measured amount looks almost absurdly small, but restraint is essential; too much turns the sauce medicinal and buries the chicken.
• •Small, evenly sized breasts suit the original suprême better than enormous market breasts. If only large ones are available, split them horizontally into four equal fillets and shorten the cooking time.
• •A dry white wine with good acidity and modest oak suits the cream, tomato, and saffron. Serve nothing elaborate beside it; the butter-stewed chayote already completes the composition.

Advance Preparation

• •The chayote can be parboiled and butter-stewed up to one day ahead. Chill it covered, then reheat gently with a spoonful of stock while the chicken rests.
• •The Sauce Suprême can be prepared through the cream reduction up to one day ahead. Cool and refrigerate it promptly, then reheat over very low heat before adding the chicken fond, saffron, final butter, and tomato purée.
• •Trim the suprêmes earlier in the day if useful, but sauté them only before serving. Reheated breast meat loses the tenderness this dish is built to protect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 375g)