Baked Chicken Imperial
By America's Test KitchenPublished on February 23, 2012
Time
1¼ hours, plus 30 minutes salting
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmedSalt and pepper 4 ounces French baguette, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted and cooled3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 2 garlic cloves, minced2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme 1 cup heavy cream ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth ⅓ cup dry white wine 1 shallot, minced2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Before You Begin
Do not salt the chicken for longer than the recommended hour or it will become too salty. Don’t worry if some of the crumb topping falls into the skillet in step 3. It will disappear into the sauce.
Instructions
- Sprinkle chicken all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Meanwhile, process bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about 20 seconds. Add Parmesan, softened butter, 2 tablespoons parsley, garlic, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and process to combine, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Arrange chicken, skinned side up, in 12-inch ovensafe skillet with narrow ends pointing toward center of skillet. Brush chicken with melted butter. Top each breast with equal amount (generous 1/2 cup) crumb mixture, pressing firmly to adhere.
- Whisk cream, broth, wine, shallot, and mustard together in 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Carefully pour 1 1/2 cups around chicken breasts, taking care not to wet crumbs on top of chicken. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until crumbs are deep golden brown and chicken registers 160 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Using spatula, carefully transfer chicken to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Pour remaining 1/2 cup sauce mixture into skillet and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cook until thickened and reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing sauce with chicken.
Time
1¼ hours, plus 30 minutes saltingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt and pepper
4 ounces French baguette, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted and cooled
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup dry white wine
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt and pepper
4 ounces French baguette, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted and cooled
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup dry white wine
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
Salt and pepper
4 ounces French baguette, cut or torn into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons melted and cooled
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup dry white wine
1 shallot, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Chicken with buttered bread crumbs is a winner of a dish––as long as the crumbs don’t end up in a greasy heap in the bottom of the pan. Pureeing the bread crumbs with softened butter allowed us to press them against the breast into a cohesive mass that stayed put during cooking. Cooking the chicken right in the sauce allowed for maximum flavor transfer between the two. Using a skillet instead of a baking dish enabled us to reduce the sauce to the proper consistency after the chicken had baked.
Before You Begin
Do not salt the chicken for longer than the recommended hour or it will become too salty. Don’t worry if some of the crumb topping falls into the skillet in step 3. It will disappear into the sauce.
Instructions
- Sprinkle chicken all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Meanwhile, process bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about 20 seconds. Add Parmesan, softened butter, 2 tablespoons parsley, garlic, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and process to combine, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with pepper. Arrange chicken, skinned side up, in 12-inch ovensafe skillet with narrow ends pointing toward center of skillet. Brush chicken with melted butter. Top each breast with equal amount (generous 1/2 cup) crumb mixture, pressing firmly to adhere.
- Whisk cream, broth, wine, shallot, and mustard together in 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Carefully pour 1 1/2 cups around chicken breasts, taking care not to wet crumbs on top of chicken. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until crumbs are deep golden brown and chicken registers 160 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Using spatula, carefully transfer chicken to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Pour remaining 1/2 cup sauce mixture into skillet and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cook until thickened and reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing sauce with chicken.
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