Jewish-Italian Chicken & Peas

Submitted by rpgaymer

"From The Ultimate Book of Main Course Dishes by Jenni Fleetwood. I made some Jewish recipes for Hanukkah, and this turned out to be my favorite. The best thing about this dish is the creamy sauce.., which contains no milk or cream at all! Potato latkes taste incredible with this sauce, but you can also serve this dish with pasta, mashed potatoes, or even just a piece of crusty bread."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4 chicken breast halves
• flour, for dusting
• salt & pepper
• 1 1⁄2 lemons, juice of
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1⁄4 fennel bulb, chopped
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 5 tablespoons marsala wine
• 1⁄2 cup chicken stock
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas

directions

1. Season the chicken with salt & pepper, then dust generously with flour. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk the lemon juice and egg yolks together. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, fennel, parsley and fennel seeds. Cook for five minutes while stirring occasionally.
4. Add the remaining oil and the chicken to the pan and cook for at least 4 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken and onion mixture and set aside.
5. Deglaze the pan by pouring in the Marsala wine and cooking over high heat until reduced to about 2 tablespoons (about 2 minutes), then pour in the stock. Add the peas, chicken, and onion mixture. Cook over a very low heat for 5 minutes, or until the peas are cooked through.
6. Gradually add the lemon juice & egg yolk mixture to the pan while stirring constantly. Keep stirring over very low heat until the mixture thickens to a creamy consistency, about 1 minute. DO NOT ALLOW THE SAUCE TO BOIL. Serve the chicken immediately.

Reviews

[Quelquefois]

I love this recipe! I followed it (nearly) exactly (substituting fresh peas for the frozen). It comes out gorgeous! I had never used fennel bulbs before and only used fennel in sausage and tomato sauce, so I didn't know what to expect. I found the flavor and aroma pleasing and unusual. I find this recipe easy to follow and have been able to duplicate it (not a fluke!).<br/>Thank you so much for posting it! I love finding "unusual" Jewish foods to enjoy with my family, and to share with my friends who aren't Jewish.

 

[ellie_]

Very good - I did change some things to only use 2 chicken breasts and only used red wine instead of marsala wine. I also used egg beaters for the yolks. Even with these changes this was a great dinner. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Chef Tweaker]

Tagged this recipe for PRMR tag game so I feel bad leaving off stars but this didn't turn out how I expected AND I changed some things so it wouldn't be fair to rate since it could have been my fault. The main issue was that it was more lemon-y than I expected... but I think I used too much lemon and my yolks were small. I didn't specfically use 1.5 lemons but used slightly more than 1/4 cup. Also I think I cooked it too long with the peas in it. I'm not a fan of overcooked peas! Hubby didn't like the sauce but felt that the sauce did give the chicken a good flavor so he was pleased in the end. I also had to make a substitute for the wine. It may sound strange... but actually I think my sub worked. It was about 4 Tbs of chicken broth with one Tbs of balsamic vinegar. If I make this again, this will be my change: I will cook the peas separately and just stir them in toward the end or even just serve on the side, and I will reduce the lemon.

 

[threeovens]

This is a unique and sophisticated way to dress up ordinary chicken breasts. For fennel lovers only since the flavor really comes through!