Classic French

Chicken with morels and sherry wine sauce

Name: Chicken with morels and sherry wine sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 30g dried morels, soaked in 250ml water for at least 2 hours; 4 organic/free-range chicken breasts (180g each), skinned; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 15g unsalted butter; 250g firm button mushrooms, washed quickly, patted dry and quartered; 120ml dry sherry or Jura wine; 400ml double cream; 2 medium leeks, trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces and washed; 200ml boiling water; 1 pinch sea salt; 15g unsalted butter

A classic of French cuisine from my own region

Prep 10 minsCook 20 minsServes 4

Morels are fungi with a honeycomb structure and a creamy white stem. Wild morels can be found all over the British isles, but this recipe actually originates from the area of France where I grew up. I think morels are the best mushrooms in the world and, thankfully, finding them in supermarkets isn’t so hard anymore because of dried morels. I actually prefer the dried ones to fresh ones because their flavour is much stronger. The traditional Jura wine is the best option for this recipe but, if you can’t get that, a good dry sherry works very well too.

Ingredients

For the morels

30gdried morels, soaked in 250ml water for at least 2 hours
4organic/free-range chicken breasts (180g each), skinned
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
15gunsalted butter
250gfirm button mushrooms, washed quickly, patted dry and quartered
120mldry sherry or Jura wine
400mldouble cream

For the leeks

2 mediumleeks, trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces and washed
200mlboiling water
1 pinchsea salt
15gunsalted butter

Method

1
Drain the morels, reserving the soaking liquor, and squeeze to extract as much of the liquor as possible.
Rinse the morels, drain and squeeze dry.
Cut larger morels into smaller pieces; set aside.
Pass the reserved liquor through a muslin-lined sieve to remove any sand or grit and save 100 ml.
2
Season the breasts with salt and pepper.
In a large frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat until it is foaming.
Add the chicken breasts and colour lightly for 3 minutes on each side.
Remove from the pan and reserve.
In the fat remaining in the frying pan, soften the soaked morels and button mushrooms together for 1–2 minutes.
3
Meanwhile, boil the sherry or wine in a small pan for 30 seconds, then add it to the mushrooms with the reserved morel liquor and a pinch of salt.
Pour in the cream and bring to the boil.
Place the chicken breasts back in the pan, making sure the cream sauce covers them.
Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until they are just cooked through.
4
While the chicken is cooking, put the leeks into a saucepan, pour on the boiling water and add the salt and butter.
Cover and cook at a full boil for 5–10 minutes until tender.
5
Using a slotted spoon, lift out the chicken breasts and place in a warm dish; keep warm.
Boil the sauce rapidly to reduce until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Place the chicken breasts back in the sauce to reheat for 2 minutes.
6
With a slotted spoon, lift the leeks from their liquor and arrange on warmed plates.
Sit the chicken breasts on top and pour the morel sauce over and around.
By this time, your kitchen will be filled with heavenly smells.
Accompany with a chilled bottle of Jura wine for a perfect moment.
Bon appétit!

Chef's Tips

“
"Dried morels are highly prized by the gourmet. Conical-shaped, with a distinctive honeycomb structure, they hold sand and grit, so need to be washed a few times in freshwater to ensure they are thoroughly cleaned." "The dried morels need to be soaked for at least a couple of hours." "You can prepare the chicken half an hour in advance and warm it through in the morel sauce to serve."

Cooking is always an expression of care and generosity. Enjoy this dish.

Bon appétit!