Culinary School Chicken aka Chicken Fines Herbes

I don’t write about culinary school much. Maybe it’s because it wasn’t what I thought it would be…or more…I wasn’t who I thought I would be.

I knew there would be long days, challenging practicals, and moments of bruised confidence.

I wasn’t put off by the earsplitting sound of bone saws in meat fab or the inescapable stench of fish after hours of de-scaling.

Of course there would be yelling and red faced chefs. And certainly my feet and back would ache relentlessly.

But I didn’t anticipate two years of the nagging questions about my self-worth, the ever (and still) present sexism, the slow and painful dimming of my optimism or…in the end…the feeling of being quite lost.

The reality included puffed up men with equally inflated egos who saw fit to call me “darling or doll” and casually dismiss my advice or concerns as their sauce pots smoldered and that day’s project burned.

Chef instructors were quick with insults but seemed to disappear when asked for one-on-one instruction.

I failed my practical by two points for turning my soup in early at a station with disagreeing clocks.

Worse? I let it all happen. I didn’t make a peep.

On bad days, I blame myself. I decide that I should have been more vocal, less easily bullied, stood my ground, defended myself. The treatment is my fault and the loss of confidence that followed was deserved.

On good days, I remember that I survived. I graduated. I never had to repeat a class. I typically got high marks and I am a chef to show for it. That’s something, right?

Most days, I am glad of the classmates I’ve left behind; but more, the friends I’ve kept. And I am happy to have stories to tell and recipes to cook. Like Chicken Fines Herbes inspired by that year two applied examination.

My version is MUCH easier. I forgo the addition of chervil — because who can find chervil — and up the tarragon (a suggestion from a kept chef friend). It all happens in one pan, it comes together in less than an hour and it looks really impressive when you are serving guests or trying to pass a practical.

Here’s the recipe:

Get your ingredients out and prepped! Season your chicken with salt and pepper and preheat your oven to 350°F. “Yes chef!” And so on and so forth…

Heat a large cast iron over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the chicken skin side down and cook for 5 – 8 minutes until evenly browned.

Once browned, remove the chicken and set aside. Add the sliced shallots to the pan and cook over medium-low heat until golden.

Add the white wine and chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Add the chicken back in and a fistful of each herb. Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until the chicken registers an internal temperature of 165°F.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside covered with foil. Strain the liquid and add it back to the pan. Stir in the cream and bring the sauce to a boil. Cook over medium high heat, while stirring, for 8 – 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half and thickened nicely. Stir in a tablespoon of each herb roughly chopped.

I plate the sauce UNDER the chicken to keep the chicken’s skin crispy. Another culinary school trick.

Serve immediately! Pass your practical! Stand up to sexism! Reclaim your recipes! Or, just eat!