I made this tonight with Coconut rice and buttered baby spinach, all washed down with a Kurt Darting Gewürztraminer Spätlese. Yummy!
Chicken Breasts with Ginger and Lemon
1 3/4 cups diagonally sliced scallions
1/3 cup chopped unpeeled fresh ginger
1 Tbsp grated, peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Zest of 1 large lemon, removed with a vegetable peeler in 1-inch wide strips
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup currant & ginger wine or sweet white wine
1/4 lb cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
1 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
In a shallow baking pan, toss together 1 cup of the scallions, the chopped unpeeled ginger, the garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, add to the scallion mixture, turning to season both sides. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Pick out the lemon zest and blanch it in 1 cup boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Cut the zest into narrow strips.
Scrape the seasonings from the chicken and the baking pan into a small noncorrodable saucepan. Place the chicken back in the baking pan, cover and set aside.
Add the chicken stock, dry white wine and current or sweet wine to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour through a strainer into a small bowl, pressing on the solids. Pour the liquid into a clean small saucepan; there will be about 1 1/4 cups. Bring to a boil and continue to cook over high heat until the liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the cold butter, 1 piece at a time, adding each piece just as the previous piece is almost incorporated. (If necessary, return to the heat briefly. whisking to produce a creamy emulsion; do not let the butter melt completely.)
Stir the remaining 3/4 cup scallions, the lemon zest, lemon juice and grated peeled ginger into the sauce. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Lightly brush the chicken with the melted butter. Transfer to a broiler rack lined with foil and broil 6 inches from the heat, for 4-5 minutes per side, or until just cooked through, moist with no trace of pink. Transfer to serving plates or a platter.
Gently reheat the sauce, if necessary, and spoon over the chicken.
Serves 4.
From Food & Wine magazine, May 1985.