En Papillote is French for “in parchment”. Cooking in parchment paper is a time tested method that cooks and steams your food right inside the package, making for a fun presentation as well as easy clean up afterwards. I wanted something different for dinner and was thumbing through Dorie Greenspan’s latest book, Around my French Table, when I found this really easy and very delicious chicken recipes.
I haven’t cooked with curry much. In fact, I had a brand new bottle in the spice cabinet that hadn’t even been opened yet. After reading the minimal ingredient list and simple instructions I actually decided to make it for lunch, instead of experimenting on my family. Only my husband and daughter were home, so I made enough for us and a couple servings for the freezer. I haven’t tried reheating them yet, so once I do I’ll update this post.
I actually used more curry powder than the recipe called for and it was still really good, not overpowering at all. So I would imagine if you went with the original measurement of one teaspoon it would be a nice subtle and mellow flavor. Either way would be wonderful. I served this with a vegetable rice and a hunk of French bread. I am a big fan of the Uncle Ben brand of rice and am not ashamed to admit that I use the 90 second packages quite often as a side dish. For this one I chose Garden Vegetable.
Note: I actually got 5 chicken packets out of this as my chicken breast halves were very large.
First you’ll cut the chicken into strips, then mix all the ingredients together to coat in curry powder.
Then you’ll put even amounts of chicken mixture onto each piece of parchment. Something I learned from Cooking Light when cooking in parchment is to cut the parchment into a heart shape. Then you pile the food on to the round end, fold, then twist the end to seal.
Place on a baking sheet, but don’t crowd them, and cook 20 minutes or so. Because mine were large I went with 25 minutes and they were perfect. You can serve in the packet in a dish, or plate it with some rice.
I knew I could count on Dorie’s book for a great recipe!
| Curried Chicken, Peppers & Peas En Papillote |
- 2 large chicken breast halves
- 12 thin slices red onion
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
- 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 teaspoons curry powder
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400˚F. Cut four 12-inch squares of parchment paper. Fold the parchment in half and cut out a heart shape. Have a baking sheet at hand.
- Cut chicken into long strips, then cut strips crosswise in half. Put the chicken and all the other ingredients in a bowl, seasoning them with salt and pepper, and stir until the curry powder has evenly colored the chicken and vegetables.
- Spoon an equal amount of the mix onto one side of each parchment heart. Fold the parchment to close the sides, starting at the round top and working down to the point. Twist the point of the heart closed. Don’t crimp the parchment very close to the chicken—you want to leave room around the ingredients so they can steam. Put the packets on the baking sheet. (You can assemble the packets up to 4 hours ahead of time and refrigerate; bake for a few more minutes).
- Bake the papillotes for 17 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through—carefully open a packet and cut into a piece of chicken to test.
- Serve the papillotes immediately, bringing them to the table straight from the oven or opening them in the kitchen and arranging the chicken and vegetables on individual plates.
You can use nonstick aluminum foil squares instead of parchment paper.
mannnn, I have the cookbook and have yet to cook anything from it. This sounds wonderful
Love the parchment packet!! Such a fun way to cook and the food smells AMAZING when you open it. Sounds fab!!
YUM! I’ve never cooked in paper, but always intend to do that. This is a great recipe to get started with. Looks wonderful!
This sounds lovely. I’ve cooked similar things but in aluminium, never in parchment. I like the tip about using heart-shaped pieces of parchment so they wrap up well in individual portions.
This is terrific Amanda! I love the parchment paper cooking method!