Canned tuna sauce over poached, skinless chicken breasts? Who knew! I was hesitant to try this recipe but when I took my first bite, my eyes got big with an unexpected surprise – WOW. Delicious. Jacques Pépin has done it again! He poaches the chicken in a vegetable broth and slices it; the sauce is made in a food processor with tuna, anchovies, mustard, and lemon; and served over a bed of undressed arugula. The bonus is that you can serve the flavorful poaching liquid as a first course soup! Use any leftovers to make an unusual and delicious sandwich on toasted bread with a slice of tomato.
From Jacques Pépin's "Fast Food My Way" as well as the video episode titled "Dining Al Fresco" (that you can watch for free if you have Amazon Prime).
Recipe
For for Chicken
1/2 c. onion, sliced
1/2 c. leeks, sliced
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. carrots, diced
1/2 c. celery, diced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
5 c. water
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
For the Tuna Sauce
(1) 2-ounce can anchovy fillets in oil (reserve 4 fillets for garnish)
(1) 3-ounce can tuna in oil
1 egg yolk
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. water
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Tabasco
1/2 c. olive oil
4 c. arugula, loosely packed
1 T. capers, drained
1 T. fresh chives, chopped
For the chicken, combine the onion, leek, mushrooms, carrot, celery, salt, pepper and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and boil gently for 5 minutes. Add the chicken breasts and cook until broth returns to a boil, about 4 minutes. Boil for 15 seconds, then remove pan from the heat, cover, and let rest for 12 to 15 minutes to cook the chicken. Remove chicken from the broth and cut into 4 crosswise slices.
For the sauce, put the tuna and anchovies (minus the 4 fillets for garnish) in a food processor along with the oil from the cans. Add the egg yolk, mustard, lemon juice, water, salt, and Tabasco and process for a few seconds. With the processor running, add the olive oil in a slow stream and process for a few seconds, or until it is well incorporated and sauce is smooth.
To serve, arrange the chicken slices over a bed of arugula and generously coat with the tuna sauce. Top each serving with one of the reserved anchovy fillets. Sprinkle capers and chives for garnish. Serve at room temperature.
– Jacques Pépin, "Fast Food My Way"