This was a quick-ish meal, once the chicken was in the brine. When you're using pasture raised chicken breast, you really need to brine it so it isn't dry and tough. I've found that a one-hour brine is good enough, but 6 hours is even better. If you get the chicken into the brine around noon, the rest of the prep is easy.
Chicken Breast Brined in Roasted Garlic, Jalapeno and Cumin Served with Jalapeno Cream
Serves 3
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound chicken breasts cleaned of all gross bits
- 3 cups water
- 3 T. salt
- 1 T. roasted garlic (I used Burlap and Barrel)
- 1 T ground cumin
- 4 medium jalapenos, seeded
- 2 T. ghee
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2 t. Hatch green chile powder (I use Burlap and Barrel)
- 300 mg heavy cream
INSTRUCTIONS:
Slice 2 of the jalapenos very thin, mince the other 2.
In a 6-cup glass container, combine the water, salt, roasted garlic, cumin, and the 2 sliced jalapenos. Stir well and allow the salt to dissolve.
If the chicken breasts are large, and they all seem to be these days, slice the largest parts horizontally into thinner slabs, and pound all slabs into 3/8" thickness. Layer the chicken into the brine, cover, and chill for 1-6 hours.
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| The chicken breasts in the brine |
Add the minced jalapeno to the cream and chill that while the chicken brines.
When you're ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the brine reserving as much garlic and jalapeno as possible. Dry it well with paper towels and distribute the reserved garlic and jalapeno over the dried slabs.
On a large plate combine 1/2 cup of the oat flour with 1 t. hatch chile powder and mix well. Dredge half the chicken pieces in this keeping the garlic and jalapeno slices stuck to the chicken, and set them aside on a clean plate. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup oat flour with the remaining 1 t. hatch chile powder and bread the remaining chicken pieces. Discard any remaining flour.
In a large saute pan, melt the 2 T. ghee over medium high heat. Saute half the chicken until brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes on the first side, then 1-2 minutes on the second. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Add the remaining chicken and saute until brown on both sides. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
Add the cream and minced jalapeno to the pan, scraping up all the browned oat flour. Bring to a simmer and stir for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened.
Serve the chicken with the cream on the side.
We served this with Sauteed Peas, Asparagus, and Lettuce
