Filets de Poulet à la Saint-Germain

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy rimmed baking sheet
• •Four trimmed pieces of baking parchment
• •Thin flexible spatula
• •Pastry brush
• •Two small heavy saucepans
• •Heatproof mixing bowl and balloon whisk
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Small blender or food processor
• •Small timbale or heatproof serving bowl
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Clarify the butter

   Melt the butter for clarifying in a small saucepan over the gentlest heat. Skim away the white foam, then pour the clear golden fat into a measuring jug without disturbing the milky sediment at the bottom. Reserve 10 tablespoons (150 ml / 135 g) for the Béarnaise and 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g) for basting the chicken. Keep both warm. The separate melted whole butter remains for coating the fillets, because its milk solids help the crumbs take color.

2. 2

   Make the foie purée

   Warm 6 tablespoons (90 ml / 90 g) of the cream until it feels hot but never boils. Blend it with the softened foie gras, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and a small pinch of white pepper until completely smooth. Pass the purée de foie gras, the silken foie gras cream, through a fine sieve into a small timbale or heatproof bowl. Set it over barely warm water and cover. If the fat beads on the surface, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the reserved cold cream a teaspoon at a time. Ça se rattrape. The purée should be warm, smooth, and loose enough to fall slowly from a spoon.

3. 3

   Reduce the Béarnaise base

   Combine the wine, vinegar, shallot, crushed peppercorns, and the tarragon and chervil stems in a small saucepan. Boil steadily until only 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) of sharp, fragrant liquid remain. Strain, pressing gently on the aromatics, then let the reduction cool until warm. This reduction is the backbone of Béarnaise; if it remains watery, the finished sauce tastes flat and carries too little acidity against the foie gras.

4. 4

   Prepare the fillets

   Set a broiler rack 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) below the element and heat the broiler on low. Trim four pieces of parchment just larger than the fillets, lay them on a heavy rimmed tray, and brush each with the neutral oil. Keep every paper edge flat against the tray and well away from the element. Pat the chicken dry, then gently flatten only the thick ends until every fillet is about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick. Season both sides with the remaining salt and white pepper. Dip each fillet in the melted whole butter, let the excess run off, and press it into the breadcrumbs until thinly and evenly coated. Lay each one on its own oiled parchment slip.

   The crust should be a fine sheath, not heavy armor. Panko and coarse crumbs brown in hard patches before the chicken cooks, so use finely ground plain white breadcrumbs.
5. 5

   Build the Béarnaise

   Whisk the egg yolks with the warm reduction and 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) of the water in a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of water held below a simmer and whisk until the yolks become pale, thick, and able to hold the trace of the whisk. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the reserved warm clarified butter first drop by drop, then in a fine stream, whisking without pause. Fold in the chopped tarragon and chervil, then correct the salt and acidity. If the sauce becomes too thick, whisk in cool water a teaspoon at a time. If it splits, put a teaspoon of cool water in a clean bowl and gradually whisk the broken sauce into it, one spoonful at a time. Hold the Béarnaise between 125 and 140°F (52 and 60°C), never over direct heat.

6. 6

   Grill and baste

   Slide the tray beneath the gentle broiler. After 3 minutes, drizzle each fillet with a little warm clarified butter, disturbing the crumbs as little as possible. When the first side is an even butter-gold, about 5 to 6 minutes, turn the fillets carefully with a thin spatula. Baste again and grill the second side for 4 to 6 minutes, until the crumb is deep golden and the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C). If the crumbs darken too quickly, lower the tray and shield the darkest patches with small pieces of foil. If the meat reaches temperature while the crust remains pale, raise the tray for 30 seconds and watch without looking away. Gentle heat, then a brief finish, preserves both crust and tenderness.

   A low broiler setting is useful but distance matters more. The parchment must remain flat on the metal tray, with no loose corner exposed to the element.
7. 7

   Dish for the table

   Rest the fillets for 3 minutes, then arrange them slightly overlapping on a warmed platter. Stir the foie gras purée until smooth and place its timbale beside the platter. Whisk the Béarnaise once more and bring it in a warm sauceboat at the same moment. Keep both sauces off the crust so each guest can spoon them alongside and the breadcrumbs remain crisp. This separate service is not ceremony for its own sake; it protects the texture the grilling created. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose four small chicken breast fillets of roughly equal weight. If only large breasts are available, slice them horizontally into thinner fillets before evening the thick ends; pounding whole large breasts flat makes ragged edges that dry under the broiler.
• •Use fine plain breadcrumbs made from dry white bread, never seasoned crumbs or panko. The butter supplies the flavor and the fine crumb supplies an even bronze surface.
• •Bloc de foie gras gives the smoothest purée and is easier to pass through a sieve than a whole cooked lobe. Country pâté is not an equivalent; its meat, seasoning, and texture turn the accompaniment into another preparation entirely.
• •Make the Béarnaise with pasteurized yolks when serving anyone especially vulnerable to undercooked egg. Keep it warm for no more than an hour, and never try to boil it back into condition.
• •Pour a full, dry white with enough acidity for the sauces, such as white Burgundy, dry Chenin Blanc, or mature Champagne. The wine must refresh the mouth, not compete with the foie gras.

Advance Preparation

• •Clarify the butter up to three days ahead, cover it, and keep it chilled. Warm it gently before dividing it between the Béarnaise and the chicken.
• •The wine and vinegar reduction for the Béarnaise can be made a day ahead and chilled. Bring it back to room temperature before whisking it with the yolks.
• •The foie gras purée can be made up to four hours ahead, covered closely, and chilled. Rewarm it over barely warm water, whisking in a teaspoon of cold cream if the surface looks oily.
• •The fillets may be trimmed and flattened earlier the same day. Keep them covered in the refrigerator, then season, butter, and crumb them shortly before grilling so the coating stays dry.
• •Do not make the finished Béarnaise well in advance. It is at its best held gently for the short time the chicken needs under the broiler.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)