Chicken en Papillote

It's no secret that my interest is piqued when something is French, and this recipe was no different. The name of the dish alone grabbed me, but the inclusion of mango in the dish.... well, it's safe to say that I was hook, line, and sinker at that point. I knew I wanted to try this recipe, and last night I did. It was such a good one that I felt I had to post about it right away!

En Papillote means "in parchment" in French. But don't let the name fool you; this recipe uses aluminum foil rather than parchment. This recipe is based off a recipe I found from Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the executive chef and co-owner of several New York City restaurants.

Chicken en Papillote

Makes 4 servings

• 8 sheets of aluminum foil, each about 18 inches long
• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups watercress leaves*
  
• 4 boneless chicken breasts
  
• 1 cup diced mango (about 2 mangoes)
• 2 cups of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

1. Preheat your oven to 500F (yeah, you read that correctly). Place two of the foil sheets on top of each other, making 4 double layers. Rub a teaspoon of olive oil on each of the 4 top sheets, about in the shape of where the chicken breast will lie. Place one cup of watercress leaves* on the oil, and then a chicken breast on the bed of greens. Sprinkle the chicken with pepper.

2. Cover the chicken with the sliced mushrooms and diced mango. Then, in a small saucepan, heat the soy sauce, ketchup, and vinegar until it comes to a boil. Stir in the ginger and garlic and allow to sit over the heat for a minute or two.
It helps to fold the foil up into little boats before pouring the mixture evenly over each chicken. Then crimp the edges of the foil up so that each packet is firmly closed.

3. Place a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan into the oven for a minute or two to heat it up, then place the packets on it. Keep in the oven for about 15 minutes, then remove and pierce the foil to allow the steam to escape. You can do this at the table even for a dramatic effect. :) Just be careful: each packet will have a decent amount of juices at the bottom, so it could leak.


* Although the recipe called for watercress, which we used, I think spinach leaves might work just as well. If you try the substitute, let me know how it ends up!