Parsley Chicken with Mushrooms

Chef Michel Guerard, who is called the “father of spa cuisine” creates and teaches cuisine minceur (slimming cuisine) at the Les Pres d’Eugenie in France.   Cooking Classes at the Michel Guérard Institute  include unique approaches to 3 cuisines – rustic, Michelin-starred, and Slimming – through a variety of the resort’s best recipes.  One of the recipes is this entree of Parsley Chicken with Mushrooms, which is a slimmed down version of Chicken Fricassee.

Parsley Chicken with Mushrooms

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Course: Entrees

Cuisine: Healthy Spa Cuisine

Keyword: Chicken, French

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 282kcal

Courtesy Of: Michel Guérard Institute

This light entree of chicken and mushrooms is a slimmed down version of the classic French Chicken Fricassee.

Ingredients

CHICKEN

• ▢ 2.5 pounds whole chicken - fresh, skin intact
• ▢ 5 tablespoons parsley - fresh, chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chives - fresh, chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoons tarragon - fresh, chopped
• ▢ 2 whole shallots - fresh, peeled, and chopped
• ▢ 4 ounces mushrooms - sliced or chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fromage blanc - see notes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 dash pepper

SAUCE

• ▢ ¼ cup chicken stock - low sodium
• ▢ 1 tablespoon parsley - fresh, chopped
• ▢ 1 clove garlic - unpeeled

Instructions

Whole Chicken Pieces Method

• Preheat oven to 465° degrees
• Combine the chopped parsley, chives, tarragon, shallots and 2 oz of mushrooms in a bowl (reserve 2 oz of mushrooms for finishing). Add the fromage blanc, salt and pepper. Lightly work the ingredients together into a smooth paste.
• Lift the skin away from the chicken, and insert the parsley mixture under the skin, patting into place with your fingertips in an even layer.
• Season the chicken with salt and pepper, brush with oil, and place in a roasting pan.
• Roast for 40 minutes. In the last 10 minutes, add the reserved 2 oz of sliced mushrooms to the roasting pan. Remove the chicken and mushroom slices from the pan, but keep warm.
• Using the sauce ingredients, flatten the garlic clove and add to the hot pan juices. Add the chopped parsley and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to release chicken bits. Reduce this sauce by one-third, and taste for seasoning.
• Carve the chicken into serving pieces, place on a heated dish, and pour sauce over the pieces of chicken and mushrooms. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Chicken Cutlet Method

• Using 2 lbs of fresh, thinly sliced or pounded chicken cutlets, rub each piece with the parsley mushroom mixture, and add to a roasting pan with a bit of chicken broth in the pan. Roast to desired temperature, and remove chicken breasts from pan.
• Add chicken broth to the pan and simmer, stirring constantly, until all the accumulated sauce ingredients are mixed. Reduce as above, and plate with the chicken cutlets, mushroom slices, and fresh parsley.

Spa Index Kitchen Notes

Fromage Blanc is a French white cheese, soft, but thicker and firmer than yogurt.  You can substitute a good quality Greek yogurt, like Fage, or quark, or mascarpone.    Also, while we prefer the leaner and streamlined version of the cutlets, there is more "pan sauce created" when using the whole chicken method.  That method is also preferred if you plan to add vegetables to the roasting pan, such as asparagus, baby potatoes, carrots, and such.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 282 kcal (14%) | Carbohydrates: 2 g (1%) | Protein: 46 g (92%) | Fat: 10 g (15%)

Les Prés d’Eugénie  is a 5 star luxury hotel in Eugénie-les-Bains, with a gourmet 3 star Michelin restaurant, spa and spa treatments.  It offers cookery classes at its  own Michel Guérard Institute — a unique initiation to the 3 cuisines – rustic, Michelin-starred, and slimming.