Chicken & Mushrooms with Tomato Tarragon Sauce

This Irish recipe, Chicken & Mushrooms with Tomato Tarragon Sauce, is perfect for chilly March evenings. From Rathmullan House in County Donegal, Ireland.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I decided to rip out the bookcases that surrounded our fireplace. As per the norm with us, we also waited until the very last minute to put away all of the books that lined the aforementioned bookcases. Minutes before the renovation was to begin, we started yanking the books out in batches. I was amazed at the sheer number of cookbooks we were finding and was surprised to find an old cookbook,

Minutes before the renovation was to begin, we started yanking the books out in batches. I was amazed at the sheer number of cookbooks we were finding and was surprised to find an old cookbook, The Irish Isle, New Irish Cuisine / Traditional Irish Music. I believe my mother-in-law bought this for us many years ago, but to be honest, I had never tried a single recipe from it. (The accompanying CD, however, is lovely!) So with Saint Patrick’s Day upon us, I decided that I should give some Irish cooking a whirl.

Irish cuisine tends to be a bit mild-flavored for me, but these Chicken & Mushrooms in Puff Pastry with Tomato-Tarragon from the Rathmullan House in County Donegal, Ireland caught my eye. Even though they were rather time-consuming to make, the end result was really quite beautiful. I will definitely be making these again, however, next time, I will alter the “insides” of the chicken roll. I’m thinking that I will eliminate Step 2 and replace the pureed chicken with some sort of cheese (perhaps Kerrygold Dubliner) to bind the mushroom mixture and add a bit more interest to the dish.

If you’re feeling ambitious and decide to make these on your own, please let us know how it went. We’d love to hear from you!

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM INGREDIENTS:

Makes 8 servings.

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 pounds mushrooms, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, stemmed
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream
• 2 pounds puff pastry, cut into ten 2 1/2-by-5 inch rectangles

CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: In a large saute pan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat and saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes, or until all the moisture has evaporated. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Step 2: In a blender or food processor, puree the chopped chicken with the salt and pepper. Transfer top a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Step 3: In a pot of salted boiling water, blanch the spinach for 2 minutes; drain and lay flat on paper towels.

Step 4: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, using a meat pounder, flatten the chicken breasts to a 1/2-inch thickness. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cover with a layer of blanched spinach.

Step 5: Return the chicken mixture tot he blender or food processor and, with the motor running, gradually pour in the cream. Fold in mushrooms.

Step 6: Spread a layer of the chicken mixture on top of the spinach and roll up each chicken breast. Wrap each chicken roll in a piece of puff pastry. Place the rolls on a greased baking sheet, seam-side down, and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown. Let sit before slicing. Serve with tomato-tarragon sauce.

TOMATO TARRAGON SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 shallots, minced
• 1/2 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon
• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

TOMATO TARRAGON SAUCE DIRECTIONS:

In a medium saute pan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the shallots and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the tarragon and chopped tomatoes and cook until dry. Stir in the wine and stock or broth and cook to reduce the liquid to 3/4 cup. Season with salt and pepper.

P.S. This month we’re participating in a Blog Hop that we were introduced to by our friend, Jessica, from Kitchen Belleicious. If you haven’t seen Jessica’s blog, please stop on by – her Southern dishes are to die for. Seriously, if I lived any closer, I’d make sure that I was always hanging around her house at meal time!

But, I digress, March is #greenslove month! Please join in on the #greenslove fun by linking up any leafy green recipe from the month of March 2012. Don’t forget to link back to this post, so that your readers know to come stop by the #greenslove event! The twitter hashtag is #greenslove.

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