Description
JB’s Chicken au Poivre is a classic French-inspired dish featuring tender chicken breasts seared to golden perfection and served with a rich, creamy peppercorn sauce made with brandy, beef stock, and heavy cream. This quick and elegant recipe delivers a perfect balance of heat from cracked black peppercorns and luxurious creaminess in just under 30 minutes, making it ideal for a sophisticated weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 large chicken breasts, skinless & boneless (250–300g / 8–10oz each)
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, or any other neutral flavoured oil
Sauce
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
- 1/3 cup brandy or cognac, or masala
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock / broth, low sodium
- 3/4 cup thickened / heavy cream, or any other full fat cream
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally to create four thin chicken steaks. Sprinkle both sides evenly with salt but do not add pepper to avoid the dish becoming overly peppery once combined with the sauce.
- Sear the chicken: Heat the vegetable oil in a large 28cm (11″) pan over high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate to rest. Do not cover the chicken while resting.
- Deglaze with brandy: Turn off the stove to prevent the brandy from catching fire. Carefully pour the brandy into the hot pan and let it sizzle aggressively for 20-30 seconds to burn off alcohol, reducing the liquid by about two-thirds. If needed, turn the heat back on briefly and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the flavorful browned bits (fond).
- Add beef stock and simmer: Turn the heat back to high and add the low sodium beef stock. Allow it to simmer rapidly for 4 minutes until the liquid reduces by half, intensifying the sauce flavor.
- Add cream and crushed peppercorns: Stir in the heavy cream and the coarsely crushed black peppercorns. Reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer the sauce for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the pan sides. The sauce should thicken enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon.
- Finish cooking chicken in sauce: Lower the heat to medium, return the rested chicken and any juices collected on the plate back to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, spooning sauce over the chicken to heat through and thicken the sauce further. The sauce should flow slowly when the spoon is drawn through it. If it becomes too thick, add a splash of cream or water to loosen it.
- Serve immediately: Serve the chicken au poivre hot for best flavor and texture, as the sauce can thicken excessively and the chicken can overcook if left standing.
Notes
- The chicken is seasoned only with salt initially because the sauce already contains cracked peppercorns; adding pepper to the chicken would make the dish too spicy.
- Coarsely crushing the black peppercorns is essential to provide texture and a burst of pepper flavor without making it overwhelming.
- When deglazing with brandy, turning off the heat reduces the risk of flambé and accidents, but you can flambé if desired.
- Use low sodium beef stock to control salt levels in the dish.
- If the sauce thickens too much during simmering, adding a small amount of cream or water helps maintain the perfect consistency.
- Resting the chicken after searing lets it finish cooking gently in the sauce, ensuring tenderness and juiciness.
