OVEN STEAMED CHICKEN BREASTS

OVEN STEAMED CHICKEN BREASTS

WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

serves 4

This recipe comes from my dear friend Posey, who was once our national sales manager at Larsen.  She served this when I visited her and her husband several years ago in Connecticut. (She's moved now to Iowa where her husband, newly ordained, has been posted to a church. But that's a different story, and for a different blog.) At Larsen, we had a crack salesman in Kansas whose last name was Bloom. We kidded Posey by saying if she married him, she would be Posey Bloom. Anyway. Perhaps you had to be there. I served this dish recently to guests, one of whom asked if the recipe was included in my blog and I thought it was, but discovered that it was not. So I'm adding it here.

Cooking this way, in airtight packets, has several noteworthy advantages. For one thing, since nothing escapes during cooking, you get a wonderful concentration of flavors. For another, the packets can be made up in advance and refrigerated for up to a day. And, finally, cooking time is short and does not require any careful watching, all qualities I find advantageous.

 Use either foil or parchment paper; I've done this both ways and both work. You can open the packets in the kitchen and spread the chicken on a platter, pouring the sauce over it. Or you can place the packets right on your guests' plates. In that event, I'd use parchment paper. It makes a better presentation. And provide a big bowl at the table so your guests can place the used packets in something.

This recipe is for four. To make it work for six, just increase the quantities by half.

6 sun-dried tomatoes, preferably dry-packed
1 t dried dill
1 t dried tarragon
2 medium shallots (1 oz. total) peeled
4 T unsalted butter
1/2 C whipping cream
1 t fresh lime juice
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 whole, boned and skinned chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lbs.), split.

1. Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. Cut four 15-inch squares of heavy duty aluminum foil or parchment paper.

2. Soak dry-packed tomatoes in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry. If you're using tomatoes packed in oil, rinse them under hot water and pat dry (do not soak these). Whichever you use, cut them into 1/8 inch strips.

3. Mince the dill, tarragon and shallots together in a food processor or by hand.

4. Melt the butter in a 1-quart, non aluminum pan. Add the shallot mixture and cook gently until the shallots are soft, about 5 minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the cream, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set aside, off the heat.

6. Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and press with a meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy pot to a uniform thickness. They don't need to be thin, just even.

7. Spread 1 tablespoon of the sauce on the center of each foil or parchment square. Top with a chicken breast and  season with salt and pepper. Spoon another tablespoon of sauce over the chicken. Fold the packets closed so they are airtight, leaving a little air space between the chicken and the foil (if using). The packets can be assembled a day in advance and refrigerated. Let them come to room temperature before cooking. (I take mine out an hour ahead of cooking time.)

8. Place packets on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Fold back foil and serve directly from the packets or transfer the chicken and sauce to heated serving plates.

To fold the packets: bring the two long sides together and fold them over several times until the foil or parchment is near the top of the chicken. Next, make diagonal folds of the other two sides to form a flap and fold that flap under the packet.