It’s been way too long since we pan fried some chicken breast, so when we stumbled upon a pack of chicken in our freezer, we figured it was time to change that. Then, we saw a beet languishing in the bottom drawer of our refrigerator, and the idea began to come together. As we boiled our beet, we considered options for flavours to accentuate the beet’s natural combination of earthiness and sweetness. We built upon the earthiness by making a Hay Stock, and we broke out our jar of truffled honey to bolster the sweet notes of the beet. In the end, the sauce was a winner, and we think it would pair nicely with pork too!
We served our chicken with Rösti (Swiss Hash Browns) and Garlic Snow Peas.
Time: 90 Minutes (most of which is boiling the beet and prepping your [optional] hay stock)
Ingredients:
- Chicken Breast
- Red Beet
- Truffled Honey (regular honey will work too)
- Stock of your choice. Veggie will work well, but if you want a fun twist, use organic hay too.
- 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
- 1 Tablespoon Warm Water
Method:
- Prep your Sauce:
- Rinse your beet, and boil it until soft. Then, set aside to cool.
- Optional if using hay: As your beet cooks, combine it with some water or milk in a pot, and simmer for an hour or so to infuse your liquid with the earthy/grassy notes.
- When your beet is cooked and cooled, peel the skin, and slice into cubes.
- Put your beet cubes and stock into your blender, and puree.
- Pour your pureed sauce into a stock pan, and add in a little bit of your honey.
- Cover, and bring to a simmer.
- As your sauce heats, slice your chicken breasts longways to cut the thickness in half for quicker and more even cooking.
- Heat some butter in a large, heavy bottomed pan (we used cast iron). When it’s hot, arrange your chicken in the pan in a single layer.
- Allow to cook until it browns (5-6 minutes), and flip. Finish cooking until your chicken reaches an internal cooked temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest part.
- As your chicken finishes cooking, combine your corn starch and water in a little cup, and stir to fully dissolve. Then, pour it into your beet sauce, and stir to incorporate. Keep simmering as the sauce thickens.
- When your chicken and sauce are ready, plate, devour, and enjoy!
