Amazing Chicken Dinner

The other day, I saw Barefoot Contessa make Chicken with Shallots and Haricot Verts with Herb Butter. It looked so good that I had to make it. The consensus - it is amazing. We were practically licking our plates clean, it was that good. And, it wasn't that hard to make!

First things first, of course - get a glass of wine. I also used this in the sauce for the chicken. The name was perfect so I had to use it!


For the Chicken:

Ingredients

• 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• 1/4 cup minced shallots (1 large)
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle them generously on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, until it begins to smoke. Place the chicken breasts, skin side down, in the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes without moving, until golden brown.

Using tongs, turn the chicken breasts skin side up, place the skillet in the oven, and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, combine the white wine, lemon juice, and shallots and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until only 2 tablespoons of liquid remain in the pan. If it reduces too much, add an extra splash of white wine or water. Add the cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bring to a full boil. Remove from the heat, add the diced butter, and swirl the pan until the butter is incorporated. Don't reheat or the sauce will "break"! Sprinkle with salt and serve the chicken hot with the sauce spooned over it.

Amazing.

For the Haricots Verts (aka green beans):

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound French string beans, stem end removed
• 1 tablespoon minced scallion, white and green parts
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat leaf parsley
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Sea salt or fleur de sel, for serving

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the string beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and then place the string beans in a serving dish.

For the herb butter, placed the scallion, dill, parsley, butter, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl and combine.

Scoop a generous tablespoon of the herb butter and place it on top of the string beans. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

Make this for dinner & you will not be disappointed!!