Chicken Breast in Herb & Parmesan Crust with Provence Style Tomato and Zucchini Gratin
by Susanne Despature
Turn your meal into a true French feast with a baking main stay, Southern Tomato and Zucchini Gratin. You will be making an extremely gratifying version spreading the aroma of herbed chicken and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy the amazing match of flavored chicken bits with the rich gratin mesh.
Cuisine : Mediterranean Course : Main Skill Level : Novice
Prep : 10 mins Cook : 15 mins Ready in : 25 mins Serves : 4
INGREDIENTS:
- Chicken Breast in Herb and Parmesan Crust
- 4 pcs of Chicken Breast
- 3 tbsp of Clarified Butter
- 50g Unsalted Butter
- 2 tbsp of Olive Oil
- 2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
- 100g Parmesan Cheese (grated)
- 100g Japanese Breadcrumbs
- 50g Parsley (finely chopped)
- 50g Italian Basil (finely chopped)
- 10g Thym & Rosemary (finely chopped)
- Salt, Pepper
Southern Tomato and Zucchini Gratin
- 4 Big Onions (finely sliced)
- 6 tbsp of Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp of White Balsamic Vinegar
- 2-3 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
- 6 Ripe Tomatoes (5mm slices)
- 2 Green Zucchini (2mm slices)
- 1 Yellow Zucchini (2mm slices)
- 50g Basil (chopped)
- 10g Thym
- 50ml Chicken Stock
- 50g Parmesan Cheese (grated)
- Salt, Pepper, Brown Sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Chicken Breast in Herb and Parmesan Crust
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Preheat oven to 250°C, grill position.
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Melt butter and mix into breadcrumbs with olive oil. Add all remaining ingredients and mix together.
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Season chicken breast with salt and pepper to taste. Heat butter in a pan and sear chicken over medium heat on both sides. Lower heat and continue to fry gently, for 5 minutes, spooning butter from the pan over it from time to time on both sides.
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Remove chicken breast from pan and place on a baking tray. Press breadcrumbs on topside of breast. Place breast under a grill until golden brown (takes only 2-3 minutes!), then take them out of the oven and keep warm under aluminium foil (temperature at core: 70°C)
Southern Tomato and Zucchini Gratin (Tian de légumes)
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Preheat the oven to 200°C. Oil a 15 x 20 rectangular or oval baking dish (= Tian in South of France).
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In a frying pan, heat olive oil, then sweat sliced onions and chopped garlic for 10 minutes or until translucent – season to taste with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Place on bottom of tian.
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Arrange the vegetables in rows in the baking dish in this order : tomato slice, green zucchini, yellow zucchini, tomato slice, green zucchini.The vegetables should not lying flat, they should be arranged in the dish as if you had stacked them, then lay the whole stack in the dish, all of the rounds slanting to one side.
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Sprinkle with herbs, season to taste with salt and pepper, then pour chicken stock on bottom of tian and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and some olive oil.
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Place in oven and bake 30 minutes or until the tian get’s a golden crust. Reduce heat to 160° C and continue to bake for another 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
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You can prepare the tian in advance and serve it cold or slightly reheated
To Serve
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Arrange some vegetable gratin on serving plates, then top with diagonally sliced chicken, garnish with fresh basil. Serve with confit truffle potatoes