Queen Elizabeth Supremes
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
halves
4 thin slices cooked ham
4 thin slices Swiss cheese
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 tbsp. butter
1/3 cup white flour
1 1b. small mushrooms, quartered
1 tsp. shallot, finely chopped
1/3 cup white wine
1 lb. tomatoes, peeled seeded and diced (if you use canned, drain)
1 cup heavy cream
Flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
If tenders are attached to the
undersides of the chicken breasts, remove the white
tendons from
the tenders with a sharp knife. Working with one at a time, butterfly
the
breast halves: lay each
half on a cutting board. Holding a sharp
knife parallel
to the work surface, and beginning on a long side,
cut breast almost in half horizontally,
then open like a book.
Cover the open breast halves with a piece of plastic wrap
and gently pound them
to an even
1/2 inch thickness with a meat pounder or a rolling
pin. This
is a little tricky and it does not have to
be perfect.
Remove the plastic and cover each open breast half with one slice of ham and one
slice of cheese.
Brush the edges of the chicken with egg, reserving the remainder.
Fold
each breast in half to enclose
the ham and cheese.
Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tbsp. butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the
foam
subsides. While
the butter is heating quickly brush the chicken seams
with egg again
and dredge in flour, shaking
off the excess. Sauté chicken,
turning over once,
until golden and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Add the remaining tbsp. of butter to
the pan, then sauté mushrooms
and shallots, for one minute. Add wine and
deglaze the skillet, scraping up any
browned bits until the
wine is reduced by
half. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring
occasionally, until the tomatoes are
soft,
about 2 minutes. Add cream and simmer,
stirring occasionally until
it is reduced by half, about 6 minutes.
Stir in any chicken juices that have accumulated on the plate and season
with
salt and pepper.
Serve the chicken topped with sauce and parsley for garnish.
