Chicken En Papillote - Surprisingly good chicken!

En Papillote literally means to cook "in parchment". It is a French term for something that the Italians call al Cartoccio. Cooking en papillote is a method in which you seal the food in a pouch and bake. The food essentially steams in the oven in its own juices. Even in Indonesia they use a similar cooking method, but the food is wrapped in banana or cassava leaves  not parchment paper. This cooking method is very easy and is a low fat method of cooking and the best part is that it is so easy to clean up. This method is perfect for cooking chicken, fish, vegetables and even fruits.

Cooking en papillote has another added benefit and that is the element of surprise and excitement it brings to the table.Once the meal is cooked, each guest has his or her own , surprise packet to open at the table. I have yet to see a unhappy face as guests open their packets to watch the aromatic steam escapes.

I have used this  method before on a whole chicken and the result was extraordinary. This time however, I wanted to use whole chicken breasts and with chicken breasts there is always the fear of over cooking it, resulting in dry tasteless meat. Cooking "en papillote" is therefore ideal because the meat cooks in the steam created by the liquid that you've added, in this case white wine. 



I have created two recipes, using the same ingredients. The one being Chicken En Papillote with Potatoes, capers and olives. The other being Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, capers and olives. You chose the method that suites your needs.

Chicken En Papillote

Ingredients



4 organic chicken breasts - skin and bone on

1 medium potato per person

fresh or dry thyme

8 tbsp white wine

a selection of pitted olives - use green, black, dried and even tapenade.

caper berries

salt/pepper to taste

olive oil



Slice the potatoes thinly with skin on. Keep in a bowl of water to keep the potatoes from going brown. Once you have cut out your paper pouch, lay the potatoes in a single layer at the bottom. Season well. Lay a chicken breast on top of the potatoes and season with salt/pepper and thyme. Drizzle with some olive oil and close the pouch, leaving a small opening  in the one corner. Pour the wine through this opening.

Close the pouch properly and place on a baking try. Bake for about 30 minutes. The meat should be soft and succulent. Serve with black and green olives and some tapenade.

For a video on how to fold the paper, click here!



Roast chicken with potatoes and olives



For the other method, simply lay the potatoes in a single layer at the bottom of a baking dish. Place the chicken breast on top and season  with salt/pepper and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil and wine and bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes. Serve with chopped olives and some tapenade. 



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