Chicken with a Creamy Morel Mushroom Sauce on Bed of Wilted Spinach

Feeds 2 people
Prep time 15m
Cook time 30m

Description

The classic combination of chicken and mushrooms is taken to a new luxury with this divine French cuisine-inspired dish. Morels are the king of the mushroom family and release a delicious, earthy flavour into the creamy sauce when cooked. Although the morel season is from spring to early summer, you could swap fresh morels for dried morels.

Simply place the dried morels in water for thirty minutes to rehydrate them (the water they are soaked in can then be used with the chicken stock for extra mushroom flavour). The chicken breasts are Label Rouge, golden in colour and deliciously succulent when cooked, the best quality poultry you can find! All served on a bed of wilted spinach for the perfect and easy springtime dinner.

Ingredients

2 corn-fed chicken supremes
250g morels
200g spinach
1 clove garlic
150g single cream
500ml chicken stock
Olive oil
50ml white wine

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Firstly, using a pastry brush, gently brush any remaining grit or dirt off of the mushrooms – it is very easy for residue to get into the holes of the morels. If you wish to rinse them with water too, make sure you do this promptly just before they are cooked, as letting them soak in water for a long period of time can allow the delicious flavour to leach out of the mushrooms. Pat dry gently with kitchen towel or use a salad spinner to get rid of excess water.
Slice the morels down the middle into halves, through the hollow stem – they reduce in size when they are cooked so cutting them into smaller pieces than this will make their earthy flavour and unique texture less prominent in the dish.
In a frying pan, heat a little olive oil and add a whole clove of garlic, skin on (you don’t want the garlic to over-power the mushroom flavour!). Gently fry the morels and make sure that they are coated in the oil by tossing the frying pan. The mushrooms will start to bubble in the pan as water is released from them, now add a splash of white wine to give the sauce acidity and flavour, followed by the chicken stock and turn the heat right down to allow the sauce to reduce whilst you prep the chicken.
Season the chicken breast with a generous sprinkle of salt, on both sides. Make sure you season underneath the fillet. Place in a hot pan with olive oil, skin side down first, and colour on both sides to seal. Place in the pre-heated oven and cook for a further 6-7 minutes.
Once the sauce has reduced and thickened add the cream to finish. Stir thoroughly, try the sauce and add seasoning where necessary.
In a separate pan, place the spinach with a sprinkling of salt and let the leaves wilt over heat.
Remove the chicken from the oven, check it is cooked through, and let rest for a few minutes. Gently squeeze any water from the wilted spinach, and serve onto the plate. Place the chicken on top, and drizzle with the creamy morel sauce. Garnish with your chosen micro-herbs, such as micro-thyme. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken with a Creamy Morel Mushroom Sauce on Bed of Wilted Spinach

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