Poulet Sauté Maryland

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •1½-quart (1.4-liter) saucepan
• •Rimmed sheet pan with a fitted wire rack
• •Two shallow dishes for butter and breadcrumbs
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the galettes

   Whisk the maize flour with the galette flour, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Beat the milk with the egg, pour it into the dry ingredients, and stir only until no dry pockets remain. Rest the batter for 15 minutes so the maize hydrates; it should mound softly from a spoon rather than run like cream.

2. 2

   Build the cream sauce

   Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sauce milk for the final adjustment. Melt the sauce butter over medium-low heat, stir in the sauce flour, and cook this roux blanc (white roux) for 2 minutes without letting it color. Whisk in the remaining milk a splash at first, then in a steady stream, and simmer gently until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the cream, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Remove from the heat before adding the horseradish, then cover the surface directly. If the sauce has lumps, pass it through a fine sieve while warm. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Grill the bacon

   Set an oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler and line a rimmed sheet pan with a wire rack. Lay the bacon flat and grill it under the broiler, turning once, until browned and crisp at the edges, about 6 to 10 minutes. Lift it onto a plate. Lower the oven to 375°F (190°C); the home broiler has now done the salamander's work.

4. 4

   Fry the accompaniments

   Heat ¼ cup of the clarified butter in the skillet over medium heat. Drop the galette batter in generous 2-tablespoon portions, shaping eight small rounds, and fry them in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side until deep gold and firm at the center. Transfer them to a clean rack. Add another 2 tablespoons of clarified butter and fry the banana slices for 45 to 60 seconds per side, just until gold at the edges while still holding their shape. Set them beside the galettes, discard the used frying butter, and wipe the skillet clean.

5. 5

   Butter and crumb

   Pat every chicken piece completely dry, then season all over with 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon white pepper. Put the just-warm melted butter in one shallow dish and the breadcrumbs in another. Dip each piece in butter, let it drain for several seconds, then press it firmly into the crumbs on every side. There is no flour and no egg here; the butter is what holds the panure. If a patch slides, blot it lightly, dab on fresh butter, and press on more crumbs. Ça se rattrape. Discard the dipping butter after the raw chicken has touched it.

   Bread the chicken only when the skillet is nearly ready. A long wait lets the butter soak into the crumbs, and the crust loses its clean texture.
6. 6

   Cook the chicken

   Brush the clean wire rack lightly with clarified butter. Pour the remaining clarified butter into the skillet to a depth of about ⅛ inch and heat it over medium heat until a loose breadcrumb sizzles immediately without blackening. Cook the thighs and drumsticks first, without crowding, for 4 to 5 minutes per side, then transfer them to the rack and begin their oven finish. Cook the breasts and wings for 3 to 4 minutes per side and add them to the oven. Spoon loose crumbs from the skillet between batches because they burn before the next piece is ready. If the coating races from gold toward dark brown while the meat is still raw, lower the heat and move the piece to the oven at once. The gentle oven finish is the rescue; burned crumbs are not. Cook until the breast pieces reach 165°F (74°C) and the thighs and drumsticks reach about 175°F (80°C), checking each piece separately.

   Clarified butter matters because its milk solids have been removed. Whole butter would blacken before bone-in chicken cooked through.
7. 7

   Rewarm with attention

   Rest the chicken on its rack for 8 minutes. Turn off the oven and place the bacon, galettes, and banana slices inside for the final 3 minutes, just long enough to warm them. Reheat the horseradish cream over low heat without boiling. If it has tightened while waiting, whisk in the reserved milk a spoonful at a time; if it is thin, let it simmer briefly before it reaches the table.

8. 8

   Arrange the platter

   Arrange the chicken generously on a warm oval platter, placing a slice of grilled bacon between the pieces. Surround it with the small fried galettes of maize flour and the fried banana slices, alternating them so every serving receives both. Pass the horseradish cream separately, never poured over the crust before serving. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a small chicken rather than an enormous one. Smaller pieces cook more evenly before the crumbs grow too dark, and careful cooking matters more here than an expensive bird.
• •Make fine crumbs from day-old white bread and pulse them evenly. Large ragged crumbs leave bare patches, while powdery packaged crumbs drink the butter and become heavy.
• •Use pale clarified butter with a clean dairy flavor. Its high cooking tolerance is part of the method, not a convenience, because ordinary butter would burn during the long shallow fry.
• •Buy plain refrigerated horseradish, not a jar already labeled creamy horseradish sauce. Drain it well and add it off the heat so the cream keeps its smooth body and the root keeps its bite.
• •The maize galette batter uses one egg and a little wheat flour as structural binders because the source supplies a shape rather than a complete formula. Maize remains the dominant flavor, and the cakes hold together for one cook working from one skillet.
• •Pour a dry Chenin Blanc or a restrained Chardonnay. You need acidity for the butter and enough breadth to meet the banana without making the horseradish seem harsh.
• •Refrigerate leftover chicken within 2 hours and keep it for up to 3 days. Reheat it on a rack in a 350°F (175°C) oven until the center reaches 165°F (74°C); a microwave softens the panure.

Advance Preparation

• •Clarified butter can be prepared up to a week ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring it back to a pourable consistency before cooking.
• •The roux, milk, and cream base for the sauce can be made a day ahead. Reheat it gently and add the horseradish only shortly before serving so its bite stays clear.
• •The bacon and maize galettes can be cooked a few hours ahead and rewarmed in the turned-off oven. Fry the bananas and crumb the chicken close to cooking time; neither improves by waiting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 600g)