Poached Chicken Breast with Velvety Mustard Sauce

This luscious and easy sauce can be used in a variety of dishes, and can be frozen to use later.  It is based on a basic béchamel with garlic and dijon mustard added. Can be made in ten minutes!

Ingredients:

     1 quart milk  (can use 2%)
     1/2 stick butter
     1/4 cup flour
     salt to taste
     1 clove pureed garlic
     1/2 cup dijon mustard (or more to taste)

• Make a roux by melting the butter in a small skillet and adding flour, stirring until a smooth paste is formed.
• Scald the milk in a large heavy-bottomed skillet with the garlic and salt, turn heat down and add roux, stirring with a whisk, cook for at least 2-3 minutes so that the roux thickens the milk.
• Whisk in the mustard for a smooth velvety sauce.

Tender Poached Chicken Breasts

Poaching liquid:

     50% White wine

     50% Chicken Stock (preferably home-made)

     Garlic to taste (depends on quantity of chicken)

     Salt to taste

A perfectly poached chicken breast seems to elude many, including restaurants. How many times have you had a great sauce or Ceaser salad with a chewy chicken breast? The key to a tender, moist chicken breast is slow, gentle cooking.  Poaching can be done in the oven or on top of the stove. If you are doing large quantities, I suggest in the oven in a deep sided baking sheet. Heat your liquid before putting it in the oven, and the liquid should be half as high as the breasts. The baking sheet should be covered with parchment.  Bake at about 300 degrees or less.  The liquid should not boil.  Turn breasts once after about 10 minutes (for thicker breasts, allow 15 minutes)

For smaller quantities, poaching in a sauté pan is fine. Heat liquid in the sauté pan and reduce heat and add breasts.  Poaching liquid should be to about half the height of the breasts. Cook on low heat. Turn the breasts after about five minutes. Five minutes later turn off heat and cover. The breasts will continue to cook slowly and evenly.  The timing depends on how thick the breasts are. If using very thick breasts, simmer longer on low heat.

The breasts should be spring back when pushed, but to be sure they are done, slice through the center of one to be sure it is white all the way through. I serve the chicken in thick slices so the sauce covers more surface area. 

Be sure to save the poaching liquid and freeze to reuse again. The more it is used, the more flavorful it becomes.