Chicken Juliette

Recently, I went to a Italian restaurant, and got this amazing dish consisting of a delicious ragout on top of grilled chicken and goat cheese mashed potatoes.  I loved this dish so much, that I did something that I normally am not able to do, I completely cleaned my plate.   In the following weeks, I literally was dreaming about having this meal again.  That was not a very realistic dream seeing as this dish was 1) on the pricier side, 2) only available for a limited time.  So, I headed on over to my local Whole Foods and got everything that needed.  I made this yumminess on a plate for Chef Matt's Birthday, and at the end of the day, he told me that my dinner was the highlight of his day; that's quite a compliment!




Ingredients for the goat cheese mashed potatoes:

4 large red potatoes
4 ounces soft goat cheese
1 stick unstalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 sweet onion
1 cup milk


Steps for the goat cheese mashed potatoes:

Wash the potatoes.  I like to use a little bit of baking soda, and scrub the potatoes.  Make sure to rinse well.

Cut the potatoes in 1 inch pieces.  There is no need to peel, unless you want to.

Place the potato pieces in a large stock pot, and cover with water.  Make sure the top is about two inches above the top of the potatoes.

Put the pot on the stove over medium low heat.

Heat until the potatoes are tender; about 40 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, cut the onion into chunks and put them in a blender along with the milk.

Puree the onion and the milk together, then transfer the liquid to a medium-sized pot with the stick of butter and the salt.

Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted.

When the potatoes are tender, drain them in a colander.

Pour a little bit of the onion mixture into the blender, and add about a third of the potatoes.

Pulse until creamy.

Pour the mashed potatoes back into the stock pot.

Repeat until all the potatoes are mashed.

On the stove, heat the potatoes over low heat.

Add the goat cheese, and stir until the cheese has melted and is completely combined.

Ingredients for the ragout:

4-5 asparagus stalks
5 crimini mushrooms
4 fava bean pods
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons sea salt


Steps for the ragout:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Wash, and chop the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces.

Wash, dry, and slice the mushrooms into 1/2 inch slices.

Remove the fava beans from the pods.

When the olive oil is hot, add the flour, herbs, and the salt, and combine.

Allow to heat through for a minute or two.

Add the chopped vegetables.

Cook until the asparagus is tender; about 10-15 minutes.

Ingredients for the chicken:

5 thinly sliced chicken breasts
1 tablespoon jarred garlic
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


Steps for the chicken:

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, and garlic.

Add the chicken, and make sure to completely coat the chicken with the olive oil mixture.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

When the skillet is hot, add the chicken.

Cook until the chicken is white.

Add the ragout to the pan with the chicken.

Using a  Spoon Scraper, mix the chicken and the ragout, make sure to scrape all the yummies (baked on chicken bits and drippings) off of the bottom of the pan.


Place a nice helping of mashed potatoes on each plate, and top with a chicken breast and tons of ragout.  Serve with warm garlic bread.  Now, take a guess as to what I'm going to go have for lunch.

Enjoy!