Elevate chicken breasts from the mundane to the magnificent
This chicken dish definitely got the vote for dish of the day on the first day’s filming. Initially we thought that the sauce would benefit from some added cream but once the dish was cooked and tasted you definitely don’t need cream. As usual the video features top UK BBQ chef, Richard Holden, and Ian Hodgett, from The Barbecue Shop here in store. The BBQ used was the new Weber gas Spirit II E-310 which has 3 burners, but this range is also available in the 2 burner E-210.
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts; flattened to ½” thick
- 4oz button mushrooms; sliced
- 5oz baby spinach
- 1 bulb of garlic; top sliced off
- 2fl oz (60ml) white wine
- 6.5fl oz (180ml) chicken stock
- 2 – 3 sprigs fresh rosemary; finely chopped
- juice of ½ lemon
- 2oz (57g) butter
- rapeseed oil
- olive oil
- sea salt
- fresh ground black pepper
Equipment:
First of all drizzle the garlic bulb with a little olive oil, wrap in tin foil and roast until the cloves are soft and golden. Pick out the cloves and set them aside.
Heat the BBQ to a medium indirect heat and place 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil in the griddle and bring up to a medium heat. Season the escalloped (butterflied and flattened) chicken breasts and sear on each side until golden. (Click here to watch the video showing how to butterfly a chicken breast) Remove from the griddle and place on the cooking grate in an area of indirect heat; Richard placed them on the top grate of the Spirit II. Although this top shelf is known as a warming rack your food will still continue cooking. The cast iron griddle gives a really even cook and is roughly 50C higher than the surrounding temperature of the barbecue.
After removing the chicken add the mushrooms to the griddle and saute gently until cooked, about 5 minutes; if necessary add a little more rapeseed oil.
Add the butter and when melted stir in the roasted garlic cloves, white wine, chicken stock and rosemary. Don’t forget to use a good quality wine as the recipe only calls for 60ml so you will have to drink the remainder. Once it is simmering return the chicken to the griddle and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 75C.
Stir in the spinach and lemon juice; once the spinach has wilted it is ready to serve.
