Pistachio-Herbed Chicken with Mustard-Cream Sauce
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup shelled pistachios (preferably raw)
1/2 Cup panko or unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1/2 Tbsp dried Basil Leaf)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried Dill Weed)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/4 or 1/2 tsp dried Rosemary)
4 5-ounce skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp (approx) single-varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Mustard-Cream Sauce
1/2 Cup dry white wine
1/4 Cup chopped shallots
1 Cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried Basil)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried Dill Weed)
STEPS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Use a food processor fitted with the puree blade to chop the pistachios to the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add panko or regular breadcrumbs and “pulse” the food processor a couple of times to blend the nuts and panko together. Pour the dry mixture to a shallow baking dish.
Combine the Dijon mustard, basil, dill and rosemary in a medium bowl. Make sure the herbs are well-distributed throughout the mustard. Use a butter knife to spread herbed mustard mixture over both sides of each chicken breast. Roll each chicken breast in the nut/breadcrumb mixture, coating each side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet, and arrange the chicken breasts on the sheet so that they are not touching. Bake chicken in oven, 25 – 35 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature is 165˚F before removing from oven.
While the chicken breasts bake, make the Mustard-Cream Sauce: Combine white wine and shallots in a small, heavy saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir and boil until the liquid evaporates from the pan, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high. Gently add whipping cream to the shallots and bring to a simmer, continuing to cook until liquid is reduced to a scant 1 Cup, about 2 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low before adding Dijon mustard, basil and dill. Stir and allow mixture to simmer, about 2 minutes, for flavors to blend. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon Mustard-Cream Sauce over baked chicken and serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings
Pistachios: the "smiling nut" | Allspice Culinarium
February 21, 2019 @ 1:27 am
[…] What do you do with pistachios? I mean, the whole point of talking about them here is to talk about how to eat them, right? Often eaten whole, fresh or roasted and salted, pistachios are also often used in desserts (most famously in pistachio ice cream, Italian spumoni, frozen Persian treat Bastani (pictured), and historically in Neapolitan ice cream). And of course, pistachios are the garnish of choice on sweet, delicate baklava, encased in crunchy pistachio nut brittle, or baked into cookies and homemade biscotti. With more savory dishes in mind, pistachios also figure frequently in Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern and Asian recipes. Pistachios go best with veal, pork and poultry, but they pop up in a wide range of recipes. Some favorite pistachio recipes include Pistachio Pesto, this amazing Saffron Curry Sauce, adding some crunch to green salad, or Pistachio Herbed Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce. […]