Recipe: Arkansas Basil Butter Chicken

Arkansas Basil Butter Chicken
in Cornmeal Crust

by Chef Rajeev Sethi

Arkansas Basil Butter Chicken in Cornmeal Crust is absolutely American! This dish is flavored by searing chicken breast with a sumptous butter sauce. After searing a chicken breast with butter, sprinkle with salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Add a slice of ham and finally roll in cornmeal dough, bake and serve!

Chef Rajeev Sethi is Executive Chef at the Washington Vista Hotel, Washington D.C. Sethi's training was drawn from European kitchens in England, Holland, and Switzerland.

Ingredients

Chicken Breasts with wing bone, cleaned—4 each x 5 oz—Flattened slightly
Clarified Butter—from 8 oz. fresh American butter—To sear chicken breasts
Fresh America Butter—6 oz. soft unsalted—Whip together to form a pesto consistency and freeze into 1/2 oz patties.
Fresh Basil—1 bunch chopped
Garlic, minced—1/2 tsp.
Smoked Ham—4 thin slices
Spinach leaves—8 large cleaned—Blanched and pat dried
Fresh Rosemary—1/4 tsp.—Chopped
Fresh Thyme—1/4 tsp. —Chopped
Salt and Pepper—to taste—Mixed
Eggs—1 each
Milk—2 Tbsp.—Eggwash

Methods: Sear chicken breast quickly in clarified butter and cool quickly. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme mix. Spread 2 spinach leaves on the inside of each breast. Wrap each basil butter pat in a slice of smoked ham. Place ham in the center of chicken breast and fold to make into a cutlet shape. Wrap each breast with rolled cornmeal dough. (* Recipe follows) Apply eggwash and rest 15 minutes in fridge. Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes (golden). Serve with buttered vegetables and red pepper beurre blanc.

Cornmeal Dough

Ingredients

Red Bell Pepper—2 each—Roasted, skinned, seeded and puréed.
American Butter—9 oz.—In cubes
Dry Sherry—1 cups
Shallots—1 tsp.—Chopped
Heavy Cream—1 cup—Heated
Salt and Pepper—to taste

Methods: In 1 oz. fresh butter, sear shallots without color. Deglaze with dry sherry and reduce to syrup. Add cream. Finish 'Monter' (the above) with 8 oz. Of soft butter. Add the red pepper purée to the above. Adjust seasoning.

Provided by Real Butter Council

This page originally published as a FoodDay article in 1997.