Recipe #7: Chili chicken butter-fried in garlic, cream and white wine

Yes, I still have some chicken fillet left, so I decided to just go with th flow and cook whatever comes to mind.

I am still in my butter phase, simply because it has the loveliest richly aromatic smell while cooking and it makes me almost drool while preparing the food. It isn't always easy to cook with; a good thick solid fry-pan is best and low simmering heat prevents it from over-browning. Above all, it is necessary to be very patient and cook very slowly with butter.

Ingredients

• Chicken breast fillets
• Creamy unsalted butter
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Fresh cream
• White wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc again)
• Garlic
• Mushrooms (optional)
• Chili flakes
• Parsley (optional)
• Salt
• Pasta

Pasta
As usual, boil water; add pasta, olive oil and salt and allow to simmer until pasta is cooked. Drain excess water and stir pasta until it is just right to serve.

Chili chicken in garlic, cream and white wine
Sliced the chicken fillets into strips, placed them in a warm fry-pan and allow them to dry very slowly. If necessary, drain excess water from chicken.
Add garlic (chopped coarsely or finely if preferred). Keep heat very low, then when ingredients are dry, place a generous chunk of butter and allow to simmer gently. Allow the garlic to be immersed in simmering butter and very slowly stir-fry. Garlic should begin to brown slightly. Toss in chili flakes and salt to taste. Allow to simmer further.
By now, chicken fillets should be starting to cook in simmering butter. They will begin to brown, as they have been allowed to warm and dry in pan before butter is added.
At this point, tilt pan back and forth, allowing butter to flow up and down, immersing its ingredients. Toss in chili flakes. Personally, I like enough chili to give the sauce a rich reddish-brown colour.
At this point, an egg may be added (just allow some space in the fry-pan) and fried in butter sunny-side up.
As butter begins to brown, don't allow it to dry completely. Splash some white wine and continue to tilt pan back and forth so that butter-wine sauce permeates the ingredients. If the chicken isn't browning sufficiently, tilt pan back and allow sauce to drain down and move fillets to top to allow them to slowly fry and brown further. If sauce dries too much, splash a little more wine, followed by fresh cream, just enough to enrich the sauce, before quickly turning down the heat.
At this point, an egg may be added (just allow some space in the fry-pan) and fried in butter sunny-side up.

To Serve
Place drained pasta on serving plate, then arrange chicken fillets on top, topped with a fried egg, if desired. Then pour garlic butter sauce over and allow to soak down. By now, the aromas should be so overwhelming that you just can't wait to serve. :)

I drank what was left of the Sauvignon Blanc, although I feel that a richer, more complex wine such as lightly oaked Chardonnay might be better suited.

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