POLLO AL BURRO

Pollo al burro (Chicken in butter)

Inspired by Elizabeth David’s ‘Florentine chicken breast’ from Italian Food. I season the chicken at the end rather than before flouring as ED does. And if you like, although it’s not in the original (or the Sostanza version), a bit of lemon juice squeezed into the pan juices makes a lovely addition to the sauce and gives it a bit of lift. 

Serves 2

2 chicken breasts, flattened out a little

flour for dusting

100 grams cold butter

juice of 1 lemon, optional

Heat the oven to 160ºC.

Dust the chicken breast lightly in flour on both sides.

Melt 2/3 of the butter in a heatproof skillet over medium heat. As soon as it has just melted but is still pale, add the chicken breast. Let cook on this side until the butter begins to brown (Elizabeth David instructs “Let them cook quite fast for the first 2 or 3 minutes, until one side is brown”). Watch it for another moment and when it is a caramelised, hazelnut colour, turn the chicken, add the rest of  the cold butter, cover the pan with a heatproof lid or foil and place the pan in the oven for a further 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and remove the chicken to a warm plate and keep covered with foil while you prepare the sauce.

Optional — Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan juices while simultaneously swirling the pan; this will create a creamy sauce (emulsion) with the caramelised butter. Season with salt and pepper and serve the chicken breast with the sauce poured over.