Crispy-Skin Chicken Breast with Mushroom Veloute
Sitting on a creamy cauliflower puree and finished off with a rich mushroom sauce, this pan-roasted chicken recipe from The Brasserie, Hilton Adelaide, should impress your family or dinner guests.
Serves 8
Ingredients
8 chicken breasts, skin on, knuckle in
1 bunch rainbow chard, cut into 2cm-thick strips
Veloute
50g butter
3 brown onions, finely brunoised*
250g Dried Forest Mushroom Mix**, reconstituted (reserve liquor)
500g button mushrooms
3 litres brown chicken stock
100g butter
100g flour
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Cauliflower puree
100g butter
2 brown onions, roughly brunoised
1 heads cauliflower, roughly chopped
500ml cream
1kg potato mash
Sea salt
White pepper
Method
For the chicken
1. Pre-heat oven at 180C.
2. Heat up a large, heavy-based pan on high heat for 2 minutes.
3. Season the chicken on both sides with sea salt and white pepper.
4. Place the chicken, skin side down, on the heated pan and turn down the heat to medium; render the skin until golden brown.
5. Once the skin is crispy, turn the chicken and brown the breast.
6. Once browned, place on a greased tray and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is firm to touch. Check between the tenderloin to see if the flesh is white, not pink, to ensure it is done.
7. Allow the chicken to rest
8. Using the same pan, heat on high heat for 2 minutes, then add the rainbow chard.
9. Set aside ready for service.
Veloute
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1. Heat a 10-litre pot on high for 4 minutes, then add the 50 grams of butter.
2. Add the onions and sauté until soft and translucent.
3. Add the drained forest mushrooms and button mushrooms and sauté until softened.
4. Add the brown chicken stock and reserved mushroom liquor and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Heat up another 10-litre pot for 4 minutes, then melt the 100 grams of butter.
6. Once melted, add the flour and stir in with a wooden spoon.
7. Cook the roux until fawn colour and slightly grainy.
8. Slowly add the chicken and mushroom stock into the roux, whisking it a bit at a time. DO NOT add more stock until the last stock has been fully incorporated.
9. Continue until all the stock is used. Then, on low heat, cook the roux out for another 20 minutes or until the “flour” flavour has disappeared.
Cauliflower puree
1. Heat up a small pot on high for 4 minutes, then add the butter.
2. Add the onions and sauté until they are soft and translucent.
3. Add the cauliflower and stir through.
4. Cover with the cream and simmer on really low for about 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft.
5. Once soft, puree with a stick blender.
6. Pass through a semi-fine strainer/chinois.
7. Add to potato mash and incorporate with a rubber spatula.
8. Season to taste with sea salt and white pepper.
Plating up
1. Place some puree on the bottom of the plate.
2. Place some rainbow chard on top of that, then crispy skin chicken breast.
3. Spoon veloute on top, cascading down the breast.
*Brunoised = cut into small cubes about 1-2mm square.
**Dried Forest Mushroom Mix: a mixture of dried mushrooms which you can get from the Mushroom Man at the Central Market.
Recipe supplied by Dennis Leslie, former executive chef at The Brasserie, Hilton Adelaide.
