BOURSIN-STUFFED BREAST OF CHICKEN ON VEGETABLE RAGOÛT

Prep Time: 1 Hour
Yields: 4 Servings

Comment:
There is nothing better than a roasted breast of free-range chicken, bone-in and skin-on. I have enhanced the flavor of this dish by stuffing the bird with a Boursin cheese stuffing and placing it on a ragoût of farm fresh vegetables. It is not only beautiful, but exploding with flavor.

Ingredients:
4 skin-on, bone-in free-range chicken breasts
1 cup Boursin cheese
1½ cups finely julienned applewood-smoked bacon, divided
1 cup chopped leeks, white part only
sea salt and black pepper to taste
granulated garlic to taste
1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
1 tbsp chopped tarragon leaves
1 tbsp chopped sage leaves
⅛ pound butter
4 baby carrots
4 baby yellow beets
4 baby turnips
4 baby corn
4 baby zucchini
4 baby yellow squash
4 baby green pattypan squash
1 cup haricots verts
6 crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 cup rich chicken stock
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp truffle butter
4 sprigs flowering thyme or tarragon for garnish

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a 12-inch sauté pan, cook 1 cup bacon over medium heat until fat is rendered and bacon is slightly brown. Remove bacon and set aside to cool. Into the bacon fat, add leeks and season lightly using sea salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Cover and cook over low heat 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When leeks are tender, remove from pan and set aside to cool along with the bacon. Using a paring knife, cut into the chicken breast along the breast bone to create a pocket large enough to hold stuffing. Season chicken using salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Rub the herbs over the skin of the chicken then set aside. When bacon and leeks are cooled thoroughly, place in a small bowl and mix in Boursin cheese. Place an equal amount of stuffing into each of the chicken breast. Set aside. Into the same sauté pan, add butter and melt over medium-high heat. Add remaining bacon and cook until fat is rendered and bacon is slightly brown. Remove bacon and set aside. Place chicken breasts, skin side down, into the bacon fat. Cook 3–4 minutes on each side, turning once. Transfer chicken to a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven for 12–15 minutes. While chicken is roasting, place all vegetables, mushrooms and browned bacon into bacon fat in skillet and sauté 5–7 minutes or until vegetables are slightly softened. Add chicken stock and whipping cream, bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook until cream is reduced to a sauce-like consistency and slightly thickened. Season to taste using salt, pepper and granulated garlic. To finish, add truffle butter and swirl the skillet to incorporate the butter into the sauce. Adjust seasonings if necessary. When chicken breasts are done, place an equal portion of vegetable ragoût into the bottom of a large soup or pasta bowl and top with a stuffed chicken breast. Garnish with a flowering thyme or tarragon sprig and serve immediately.