When I first started cooking I never knew what to do with boneless skinless chicken breasts, now I positively rely on them. The success of the dish is all in the sauce and not overcooking the chicken. I made this the other day when time was short (when isn't it) and everyone was hungry (when aren't they). It was one of those 30 minute deals - actually more like 20. You really can't go wrong with garlic, lemon and herbs and add to that creme fraiche, or cream if you can't find the creme fraiche and some peas and you have a winner of a dinner.
Pan Seared Chicken Breasts with Creme Fraiche. Serves 6.
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts.
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 lemon, zest and juice
1-2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 -2 handfuls of fresh parsley
A couple of tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
1 glass of white wine
1 tablespoon creme fraiche
1 cup of frozen peas
If the chicken breasts are thick, lay them between two sheets of parchment paper and pound with a rolling pin to approx 1/4 inch thick.
Very finely chop the herbs.
Season the chicken with a sprinkling of the herbs, salt and pepper.
In a large non stick saute pan heat the olive oil and butter until foaming.
Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft.
Push the onion and garlic to the side of the pan and place the chicken breasts into the pan (don't overcrowd), unless you have large pan you may have to do this in batches. Saute on a medium heat until the chicken is beautifully golden.
If the onion and garlic look like they're burning remove them to a serving platter and cover.
Turn the chicken over and brown the other side until it is thoroughly cooked through.
Remove to a platter and cover with aluminuim foil.
Sprinkle in the rest of the herbs, zest, juice of the lemon and the glass of wine. Turn up the heat until bubbling, then turn down to a simmer, add the frozen peas and cook for a couple of minutes until the peas are bright green.
Remove from the heat, add the tablespoon of creme fraiche and swirl it into the sauce. Don't whisk.
Pour the sauce over the chicken breasts, garnish with more fresh herbs and slices of lemon.
What a lovely and quick meal! I love the addition of the green peas for color and flavor. I also rely on chicken breasts, and to make the preparation even quicker, I usually cut them in half horizontally. I find they taste better that way too. Have a lovely Saturday - hot here!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am a vegetarian, I do cook meat for my family. I have to confess that I find chicken the most unpleasant, especially if it has bones in it. This is an ideal recipe for me to cook for them, because of the lack of bones, and no cutting (yes, I know I am pathetic). I will let you know what they think.
ReplyDeleteSimply delicious ! Will have to try this recipe sometime :)
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty much my ideal dinner, your photo is fantastic, makes me want to tuck right in!
ReplyDeleteYUM! ...and the chicken looks so moist. A recipe I will be using in the future!
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious! A lovely and delicious quick meal to prepare! Love it with the green peas and herbs!
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious and how lovely would it be with your shortcake for dessert :)
ReplyDeletelook really delicious!!
ReplyDeletethis is such a lovely meal and pretty as well, yummy!
ReplyDeleteDoesn't this dish look yummy. The added bonus is how quick you can throw it together and still have a flavorful meal.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful sounding and looking dinner! Such a shame that creme fraiche is so expensive here an not very readily available. I don't understand how it is so common in England and quite reasonable and here it's just the opposite, kind of crazy....... Thanks for this delicious recipe Mary, it looks like it took hours!
ReplyDeleteLuce muy hermosos y deliciosos me encanta,María gracia por su comentario,abrazos hugs,hugs.
ReplyDeleteOh I'm saving this recipe. We eat lots of chicken breasts in this house and I'm always looking for new recipes. This looks delicious and easy. Thanks so much :))
ReplyDeleteThis herb sauce sounds fantastic, and I love the addition of peas.
ReplyDeleteOk....I'm at a loss...I have no clue what cream fraiche is. where would I find it at the grocery store? Hope to try this soon...
ReplyDeleteshug
Now this looks really good - and I have all the ingredients on hand too! I found some fresh peas in the market so they will go perfectly your lovely dish!
ReplyDeleteHave a great Sunday on this first day of July! Sandra
Chicken breasts are so easy to overcook. I love your sauce with the peas. I could eat this anytime.
ReplyDeleteSam
Absolutely gorgeous looking dish -what a lifesaver especially for the mid week rush - loved the peas in there too, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSuch a perfect and comforting dish. Love the sauce with the peas, and the herbs used. the creme fraiche is even better than adding sour cream, or heavy cream to make the sauce. It has a wonderful tangy just the right balance, and with the white wine...wow! Love it!
ReplyDeleteYour chicken looks wonderful! I love that you added the peas to your sauce!
ReplyDeleteYou know its an awesome dish when your tummy goes RAWR as soon as the picture loads. You're right, you can't go wrong with garlic, lemon and herbs. Yummy!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty weeknight dish! Great way to use summer peas and it's all in that beautiful creme fraiche, isn't it! Love to add that to so many sauces...
ReplyDeleteI love the new layout! So fresh and clean!
ReplyDeleteThis recipe looks so tasty, I love chicken and I always try to experiment with new recipes! I'm definitely trying this!
Maria
http://www.unidentifiedlifestyle.com
Love it!
ReplyDeleteI actually really love boneless thighs, but Chris will not eat dark meat, so chicken breasts show up on our table a lot! This looks like one that will end up on our table very, very soon!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous quick meal. It looks delicious and the herbs take it out of the realm of ordinary ho-hum meals. I really like this recipe, Mary. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteI love easy chicken dishes. My kids keep begging me to make my Barefoot lemon chicken but I might just make this up as it looks super yummy and easy. I love meals that can be made in less than 20 minutes.
ReplyDeleteMary, Your chicken looks wonderful…so absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a winner of a dinner! Easy and delicious. :)
ReplyDeleteMary, I just picked your blog for “The Lovely Blog Award”. You can pick it up at my blog. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteI do love a 30 minute meal. This one looks delicious! Can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a lovely spring or summertime dish.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds yummy. The sauce sounds fantastic, I love the ingredients in it. Sounds like it would be perfect with the chicken.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree that over-cooked chicken breasts can be yucky or even too tough to eat. Thanks for all your cooking tips. I always like to eat lemon with chicken and this recipe sounds yummy.
ReplyDeleteLove lemon and chicken is a regular at our dinner table. This looks delicious. Have a fantastic week!
ReplyDeleteSimple and so yummy! Great idea for a quick meal. And it has peas! Love them
ReplyDeleteLooks wonderful! I can't wait to try it. And you're right, it's hard to go wrong with lemons, garlic, and some cream!
ReplyDeleteThis looks fantastic. I too rely on chicken breasts for about half of my meal planning. This looks like a great variation I'll have to try!
ReplyDeleteI finally got around to making this, Mary. It was a big hit. I did my standard test of asking of they would like me to make it again, and there was a resounding, YES!
ReplyDeleteSince I have an overload of creme fraiche I made for our Christmas celebration, I found this recipe via Google and can't wait to see how it tastes. It looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteFor those of you wondering about creme fraiche, it's a breeze to make. Just take two cups of full-fat (36% at least) heavy cream and mix it with two tablespoons of buttermilk. Let it sit on your counter top for 24 hours and you will have an amazingly thick cream called creme fraiche. It's similar to sour cream, but it's not nearly as sour.