Market Recipe: Chicken Rockefeller

 

Chicken Rockefeller

By Sharon of Christen’s Gourmet Pralines, Serves 6

Rockefeller sauce was created at Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans in the late 1800’s. The actual dish was Oyster Rockefeller, and was created by the restaurant founder’s son ~ Jules Alciatore. Because of the richness of the buttery sauce, it was named after John D Rockefeller, who at the time was the richest man. The original recipe was, and is to this day a very guarded secret. In fact spinach, which is the main ingredient, was not in the original. The young Alciatoare used parsley and other green herbs that have been nearly impossible to detect exactly which ones. In our family, we don’t have recipes at all. Therefore I have to wing it the best I can to put something down in print. I hope if you give it a try, you will be delighted with the results.

 

Ingredients
3 chicken breasts
3 cup of fresh spinach
2 medium onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 shallots
1⁄2 cup bread crumbs, either Italian or Panko
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 stick of butter
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons parsley
3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt & black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste

To make the chicken — If chicken breast are fairly thick, slice them in ½ horizontally so that the center thickness is not so out of whack with the outer portions. It will cook more even. Cut into fairly thin strips. Make marinade with the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley. Place in either a resealable plastic bag or glass bowl and add sliced chicken strips. Let marinade for about an hour. Remove from marinade and add salt and black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste and grill in or outdoors until done.

For the sauce — Melt half of the butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet. Add 1 cup of onions and 2 cloves of garlic and sauté until veggies are tender, about 5 or 6 min. Add Spinach and stir the mixture for another 10 min. Remove approx. ½ of spinach mixture to another skillet. In second skillet, add the remainder of butter, olive oil, onions, garlic, celery and sauté for about 5 to 6 min. Add in the chicken broth and simmer for about 10 min. Remove and put in food processer or blender with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.  Set aside.

Place the first half of the spinach mixture on a large serving platter. Layer the grilled chicken over the sautéed spinach. Spoon the already prepared sauce over the grilled chicken. Bon Appetit!