Carrabba's Champagne Chicken

Carrabba's Champagne Chicken

Ingredients:
1 tbsp                        Olive Oil
Pinch                        Kosher Salt
Pinch                        Black Pepper
1 each                 Chicken Breast (Split, trimmed of all fat and pounded to ¼" thickness)
As needed                Flour
¼ cup                        Sliced Mushrooms
2 tbsp                        Champagne (Dry)
1/3 cup                Heavy Cream
pinch                        Kosher Salt
pinch                        Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 tbsp                        Jumbo Lump Crabmeat
3 pepper strips         One Roasted Red Bell Pepper
Small Pinch                Tarragon (Chopped, Fine)
Directions:

1.        Roast the red pepper in its skin over a hot BBQ grill or over a gas burner on the stove, turning as each side chars do a dark black color.  When the pepper is completely charred, place it in a Ziploc bag to allow the steam to loosen the pepper skin.  Allow the pepper to cool slightly before peeling the rest of the skin off.  Cut the pepper in half and remove the seeds.  Then chop into 6 slices per half, retaining 3 of the srtips for the recipe.  The others can be refrigerated and used on salads etc.

2.        Place olive oil in a 10" sauté pan over high heat. Season the chicken breast with kosher salt and black pepper then dust with some of the flour. Reduce heat to medium. Sauté the chicken until golden brown on one side about 1.5 minutes. Then flip and add the sliced mushrooms to the pan with the chicken.

3.        Cook chicken and mushrooms until the chicken is 165 degrees. Then add the champagne and allow it to simmer in the pan to reduce for 1 minute or until the sauce is slightly thickened.

4.        Add cream, kosher salt and black pepper. Then add crab meat, roasted red pepper strips, and tarragon, heat until sauce thickens to a creamy consistency being careful not to break up the crab meat.  Once the sauce is thickened, place chicken on plate and spoon the sauce and remaining ingredients on top of the chicken.  Serve with a side of pasta of your choice or with a seasonal vegetable.

Noon Cooking - November 30, 2011