Coriander Chicken

This is a simple supper adapted for one or two persons, from Best Ever 30 Minute Cookbook by Jenni Fleetwood. Simple, tasty and fast. Coriander / Cilantro Haters -- look away now before you are traumatized.

Step One:

Pound out a chicken breast to desired thinness, and add to a hot pan with a bit of olive oil and butter. I like mine particularly thin because a) it cooks more quickly and b) it gets nice and chewy. I'm not a fan of wet or moist chicken. As the chicken breast is cooking ...

Step Two:

... I heat a pannini press that I found at a garage sale for a buck. I use it to weight down just about anything I want flat in a pan, from sandwiches to bacon. This is optional of course, but by heating it on that back burner you see peaking out back there, and placing it on the chicken, it browns evenly and ...

Step Three:

... develops these nice grill marks which are more attractive in pan fried meats. Get your chicken nice and sizzling, and then ...


Step Four:

... begin to break it up with a sharp knife and fork. Yes, you could dice it up in advance, but I like to shred my chicken AS it cooks in the pan, and not before, because it gives more interesting shapes, different sizes and textures, chewy brown edges and bits and pieces, and prevents it from looking like those uniform chunks you see in a can or frozen meal.


Step Five:

Now, add a knob of creme fraiche. I used a little over 2 tablespoons, and added it right to the pan. I should have scooped out a bit more of the olive oil than I did -- I had a bit too much for my liking. Act accordingly. Begin to stir right away to melt it and ...

Step Six:

... quickly add a big handful of chopped cilantro, stirring quickly to wilt.


Step Seven:

If you take the pan off very quickly, you'll have a somewhat creamy sauce. If you leave it a moment or two and really melt and wilt the creme and cilantro, you'll see it disappears into a rich, buttery tasting fat, like this, below. Grind fresh salt and pepper over all, and serve hot.