Chicken with Champagne Cream Sauce

Let me start off by admitting that I really wasn't excited about this recipe. I didn't want to make it at all. And I apologize for not having pictures, it disappeared pretty quickly.



Eric made me a mimosa with my Mother's Day breakfast and we had most of a bottle of prosecco that needed to get used. And although it was a day to celebrate, there really is no excuse to drink a whole bottle of champagne for breakfast, especially by one's self. So, since by the end of the day it was flat, we decided that the next best thing to drinking it would be to cook with it.


I scoured the internet for recipes and none of them sounded very good to me. But out of them all, this one looked the best, even if it only called for 1/2 cup of champagne.


I am SO glad that I found this recipe and made it rather than letting the champagne go bad in the fridge and then dump it down the sink. It was so amazingly good! There are a few changes that I made to the recipe to conform to our new diet and there are a couple more that I'll make when I make it again. (Notice I said when not if.) For one thing, by the time my chicken was fully cooked on the inside, the outside was bordering on burnt and all the brown bits sticking to the pan were charred.


So here's the original recipe. And here's how I think it should be done:


6 chicken cutlets*
2/3 c almond flour (gluten-free and adds a great flavor)
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
4 sliced prosciutto, diced small
4 Tbsp butter, divided
1/2 c dry champagne or leftover white wine
1/2 c heavy cream
1 tsp dry tarragon


Line a baking sheet with foil.
Pour almond flour into a shallow dish. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in almond flour.
Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet, not non-stick, over medium heat. When shimmering, add half the chicken to the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Once it is all browned, place in oven at 350 degrees to finish cooking through if it is not fully cooked. If it is cooked through, turn oven to 200 degrees and place in oven to keep warm while you make the sauce.
Heat 2 Tbsp butter in the now empty pan. Once it is melted, add shallots and cook for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add prosciutto and cook for 1 more minute.
Pour champagne or white wine into pan, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Once it is reduced by 1/2 add the cream and tarragon. Return to a simmer, cook 2 minutes, stirring to combine. Whisk in remaining 2 Tbsp butter.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Serve chicken with champagne sauce over the top.


*You can make your own by slicing 3 chicken breasts in half. Place your hand on the top, press down firmly and gently slice through horizontally with a very sharp knife.


We really enjoyed ours alongside a simple salad and steamed broccoli. If you don't have diet restrictions, this would be really tasty with some mashed or baked potatoes.


Enjoy!