Cooking: Crispy Chicken in Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce

Chicken... the other white meat.

It's a protein I've been neglecting for a while in my own kitchen, though I have it regularly when dining out for occasional brunch. Being a bit cheaper and healthier, on top of trying to appeal to my child's current pallet, I recently discovered the Meat Recipes channel on YouTube by a German lady who shares recipes.

Needless to say, after my success, it's now a new meal staple.

A NOTE ON CHILDHOOD PICKY EATING

Though this first attempt to introduce my little one to expand her cuisine failed, patience shall prevail. Exposure is an effective step... but it has to be passive. While my parents' generation believed in forcing, lecturing, and spanking, I'm using the "French method".

Just regular exposure, strategic meal/snack cut-off periods to make them hungry before major meals, and encouraging curiosity through needs of silent boundaries by simply adding a sample to a plate with other "safe" foods, she's already developing curiosity and exposure until it becomes normal.

She was quite curious about smelling the sauce; seemingly fond of garlic. So, the appeal is there. Now, it's just a matter of time and exposure. Yes, this has worked with past meals, such as French Onion Soup.

THE RECIPE

For those who prefer reading, rather than following the video:

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken

2 large chicken breasts (giggity), filet-cut (sliced in half - cheaper to do it yourself)
Flour (enough to lightly dust the chicken; around half a cup
Salt, pepper, paprika (enough to lightly coat the chicken on both sides; I used smoked paprika)
1-3 tablespoons butter
1-3 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce

3/4 cup Heavy cream
1/2-3/4 cup chicken or beef stock
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tablespoons fresh rosemary (or thyme)
2-3 tablespoons fresh parsley
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard (to taste)
1/2 cup-3/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan (or other blend; to desired thickness)
2-4 tomatoes (optional, sliced in half; cherry or Roma variety)

PREPARATION:

Slice chicken breasts in half length-wise, fat trimmed
Rinse then pat dry
Season with salt, pepper, and paprika
Add generous amount of flour to chicken, both sides
Heat olive oil and butter in large skillet (add more as needed)
Fry chicken, 4-5 minutes per side
Remove chicken once golden brown
To the same skillet, add garlic, cook/fry until aromatic
Add chicken or beef stock (beef will add more/heavier flavor depth)
Add heavy cream, mix thoroughly
Add Dijon, mix thoroughly
Add Parmesan (freshly grated is best, but bagged is fine)
Mix and adjust ingredients for desired consistency
Add lemon juice, mix well
Return chicken to pan (add drippings for flavor), simmer in sauce 5 mins
Sprinkle parsley, rosemary, and other seasonings (and add tomatoes if using)
Baste chicken by drizzling sauce on top (don't mess with chicken too much, or you'll lose crispiness)
Remove from heat and serve

SIDES:

I went with green beans and basic mashed potatoes.

Why?

Basic veggies would be more appealing to my child. I explained to her that potatoes are in the French fries she eats, and chicken is in the nuggets she eats, just made a different way.

If I were only making it for myself?

Mashed potatoes, skin-on, made with either red skin potatoes, or Fingerling (nutty flavor), with grated smoked Gruyere cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, white truffle oil, green onions, butter, and roasted garlic. Either this, or simple egg noodles.

For veggie, anything works. Personally, I'd go with Brussels Sprouts in a honey Balsamic glaze.

RESULT:

Turned out pretty well. Chicken was very tender, however, I moved it around too much in the pan toward the end, resulting in loss of crispiness. Next time, I'll add more flour and fry them longer, as well as not move them after returning to the pan with the sauce.

Sauce had good flavor, but I'll add more seasoning next time, along with fresh rosemary instead of dried that I ground up with a mortar and pestle. I use beef stock more often for my mushroom Brandy sauce for steak, so I'll probably continue using beef stock instead of chicken for the depth of flavor.

Kid didn't eat it. Smelled it, and still ate the "safe" foods off the same plate. Complained about "not wanting a plate", which I ignored. Once she was done and busy playing, I ate her samples out of sight. Plan to continue exposing her this way with other new foods, and once she starts at least trying the new foods, reducing the amounts of "safe" foods gradually over time.

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