Chicken Breast à la Al

Serving 2 people

Ingredients

2 medium sized chicken breasts

A third of a medium sized green pepper

A third of a medium sized red pepper

A third of a medium sized yellow pepper

1 medium sized carrot

200gr mushrooms

Medium sized celery stick

Medium sized leek

Half a medium sized onion

125mls double cream

Olive oil, sunflower oil, butter and seasonings

Mixed herbs (dry – make sure that if using fresh herbs, coriander is best)

Preparation (15 minutes)

1.       With the point of a sharp knife (keep knife at 45 degrees) cut through vertically to thinner and expand chicken breast, while trying to avoid cutting through, then put the portions aside.

2.       Chop leek and onion and celery

3.       Chop peppers at vertical length 3-5 mm wide. Chop carrots in segments 3-5 mm wide and about 5cm long. Chop mushrooms.

Cooking (35 minutes)

1.       On a 2 litres frying pan add: 1 table spoon olive oil and 1 table spoon sunflower oil.

2.       Fry chicken breast 90 seconds on each side and then place on an oven tray. Put in the oven at medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Take out before they get brown.

4.       On the frying pan meat was fried, add chopped leek and onion. After 1 minute add celery and cook until they start to get golden.

5.       Add to the pan peppers and carrots as soon as leek and onion start to get golden. Stir fry until they start softening, but not soft.

6.       Add mushrooms to the pan.

7.       Add about 1 table spoon butter as soon as adding the mushrooms.

8.       Continue stir-frying until mushrooms start getting soft. (Remember at this stage you have all the veg together.)

9.       Add 100mls hot water. Cook on low heat.

10.   Take 1 desert spoon of tomato paste and liquidise it in 50mls of hot water. Add it to the pan.

11.   Keep the pan to boil and add salt, black pepper, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of ginger and a pinch of mixed herbs.

12.   Stir just to mix seasonings.

13.   Place meat above veg in the pan (At this stage you can decide whether you will serve chicken breast as a single piece, or cut it in about 2cm by 5cm segments.)

14.   Add 75mls of double cream over the cooking ingredients. Mix cream with other ingredients. Bring to boil then turn heat to minimum and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

15.   Turn heating off and leave it to cool down.

16.   Reheat to guidelines (165 degrees F, or above) before serving.

I have developed this recipe as a Mediterranean dish, and I think it goes very well with a Mediterranean salad.

Enjoy!

Perparim 2000