I do love a green peppercorn sauce; you can serve it with any meat, such as pork, veal or venison, but it’s delicious with chicken. There are lots of brands of peppercorns out there, some better than others, or you can buy them fresh on the stalk from Asian supermarkets. You can serve this with simple steamed spinach, nice buttery mash or root vegetables.
Timings
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes
Serves
4
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts with the skin on
- a little rapeseed or vegetable oil, for frying
- a small knob of butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- a couple of good splashes of cognac
- 200ml chicken stock
- 150g double cream
- 4 tsp green peppercorns, rinsed if in brine
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Method
- Season the chicken breasts. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and pan-fry the chicken breasts for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through (the timing will depend on how thick the fillets are).
- Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the butter and shallots to the pan, stir over a medium heat for 30 seconds, then add the cognac, stirring it around in the pan to pick up anything stuck to the bottom.
- Add the chicken stock and simmer until it has reduced completely, then add the cream, peppercorns and parsley. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, then season with a little salt if necessary.
- Transfer the chicken breasts to warmed serving plates and spoon the sauce over.