Chicken Pontalba

By James P Shannon

As Executive chef at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, Jamie’s used his country ham heritage and creativity to give Commander’s Palace a fresh outlook and new ideas for it’s already famous haute Creole cuisine.

2 Whole Chicken Breasts, Halved and Boned
10 Tablespoons Butter
8 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Cups Country Ham, Diced
12 Medium Fresh Mushrooms, Diced
16 Green Onions (Green Tops Only, Coarsely Chopped)
2 Teaspoons Creole Meat Seasoning
1/4 Cup Dry White Wine
2 Cups Potatoes, 1/4-Inch Diced
8 Tablespoons Béarnaise Sauce
Oil For Frying

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Melt 7 tablespoons butter in a shallow baking pan. Dip chicken breasts in the butter, coating them on all sides, arrange in the pan and bake in the hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve. Heat the remaining butter in a sauté pan. In it, sauté garlic, ham, mushrooms, onions and meat seasoning until the vegetables are slightly cooked.  Add wine and simmer gently to slightly reduce the quantity of the sauce. Meanwhile, fry the diced potatoes in oil heated to 365 degrees.  Remove with a slotted spoon when the potatoes are golden and crisp and drain on absorbent paper.

To serve: Add the fried potatoes to the vegetable wine mixture and toss lightly.  Put a spoonful of this mixture on each serving plate and top with one-half chicken breast. Top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons Béarnaise Sauce and serve immediately.

Serves 4.