Friday, September 5, 2014

French Fridays with Dorie - Curried Chicken, Peppers, and Peas en Papillote


Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is „Curried Chicken, Peppers, and Peas en Papillote“. Cooking chicken and vegetables in a bag or envelope, preferably made from baking parchment paper, adds "theater" and a "heady aroma" to the dinner table




It is a nice way  to save washing up and impress your guests by cooking your meal in parchment parcels – en papillote – it will steam beautifully, releasing a fragrant waft of vapor as you open it up. It is fantastically simple, you just wrap up all the ingredients – preferably one package per person , so everyone gets their own little present – roast them in a hot oven and bring the packages, still filled with steam, to the table, where each diner cuts into them and releases the fragrant vapors.




For Dorie´s recipe I used only baking parchment. This definitely creates the best presentation at the table, but the whole procedure can be a bit fiddly. If you are less bold and want to get the hang of it, I would suggest laying a layer of foil underneath the parchment and wrapping it in both. If you do this you will need to add a few minutes to the cooking time.




Dorie´s recipe for Curried Chicken, Peppers, and Peas en Papillote is easy to follow. You preheat the oven , place cubed chicken breats, thinly sliced red onions, diced red bell peppers and peas, and for seasoning some salt, freshly ground black pepper and, curry powder, into a bowl and mix until well combined. Since we are not into red bell peppers, I substituted lovely fresh yellow and green string beans and corn instead. I even found some late season fresh peas. Then you divide the mixture among squares of baking parchment paper. Fold the paper over and scrunch up the edges to seal, making an envelope around each portion. Make sure that the paper is sealed well and that there is still room for steam to circulate in the package. Place the parcels onto the hot baking sheet and bake in the oven for about twenty minutes. Remove the parcels from the oven and serve.




We enjoyed the Curried Chicken with some couscous with grated carrots and herbs (fresh chives and Italian parsley). The couscous was very nice served alongside the chicken and actually we quite liked our dinner.

The curry powder I used was a rather mild one, it is a mixture of turmeric, chili powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground ginger and pepper, and can be bought in mild, medium or hot strengths.

To see how much the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group enjoyed this recipe, please go here.

For copyright reasons, we do not publish the recipes from the book. But you can find the recipe for this „Curried Chicken, Peppers, and Peas en Papillote“ on page 221 in Dorie Greenspan´s "Around my French Table".


52 comments:

  1. That is such a beautiful presentation, I like the idea of the parchment in the foil. We enjoyed this very much, and since I
    only prepared half the recipe, the curry was not strong.

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    1. Nana, absolutely - this is a great recipe for reducing or doubling (like I did) - easy enough to do. And the curry was definitely there but not too overpowering. I chose a mild curry powder, so it would not take over the whole dish.
      Thank you for your kind comment - hope all is well!

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  2. I've never used baking parchment. It looks like it folds down nicely. Beautiful presentation. Glad you enjoyed it.

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    1. Diane, I always use baking parchment for cooking "en papilotte" - around here that is considered much more healthy than using foil - and, besides, I love the presentation!

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  3. I hope everyone enjoyed their presents. Corn is a great addition for this time of year. I used string beans instead of peas and added cherry tomatoes and olives. I loved how flexible this recipe is.

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    1. Betsy, most of my taste testers enjoyed their presents - but not all - I think the younger ones would have liked a bit of "sauce" in their packages, but overall, it was well received and may I say that the couscous was rather popular, so, in the end, we were all happy.

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  4. Oh, Andrea.. that is absolutely stunning! It is so much fun to cook en papillote - it has been a long time since I have done this. I need to cook this way again very soon.

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    1. Cathleen, cooking "en papilotte" certainly adds a certain "wow factor" - that´s for sure! Loved using that cooking technique again, have not cooked this way in a while.
      Thank you for the comment!

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  5. Hi Dear Friend,thanks for always sharing such fantastic recipes...en papillote method of cooking is a beauty...it makes every diner feel special,is easy to assemble when in hurry and there is such a brush of aroma from the steam that releases when we open those parcels....it is an enchanting experience,thanks :-)

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    1. Kumar, so very nice to hear from you again - have seriously missed looking at your lovely posts and actually when I made the couscous I was thinking of your blog and wondered whether you had a great "warm" cousocus recipe that would not overpower the lovely dish "en papilotte".
      Hope all is well, looking forward to your upcoming posts!

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  6. Hi Andrea :)
    Haven't been here for a while, I'm really busy with work these days...
    Such beautiful colors inside your papilottes! I haven't cooked anything like this in a while, think I will do it by the time I get back home for holidays, for my brothers ;) I also prefer to use parchment paper for everything, I don't really like the aluminum foil...
    Looks really sunny in your pictures, hope you have a nice weekend with a lot of sun!
    Liebe Gruße aus die graue München,
    Inês

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    1. Inês, about that sunny weather - well, it is sunny on and off and I always look up at the sky and worry that I will not be able to take the pictures on time...but that is another issue...hope all is well with you and that you enjoy your studies in lovely München. If you do get home for the holidays, cooking "en papilotte" is a wonderful idea, it is easy, healthy and can be prepared in advance too! No aluminum foil for cooking, ever, parchment is better for our health and looks prettier too, I agree!
      Ganz liebe Grüsse nach München,
      Andrea

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  7. Love love your presentation of the open present! Your adaptation with your choice of vegetables is very nice!

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    1. Emily, these do look like little presents to me - anyways, that is the association that I always have when I loook at "papilottes" and the green and yellow string beans, and the corn were wonderful in this recipe!

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  8. Such a gorgeous presentation, Andrea! I think I might have been able to get away with a mild curry powder...Bill would surely have questioned me, but I think he would have eaten it :)

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    1. Liz, who knows, Bill might go for the mild curry powder - we enjoy that spice mix, so we did not mind it in this recipe. Thank you for the comment!

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  9. Hi Andrea, I have to say your dish is gorgeous, the presentation amazing. I have this cookbook but do not recall this recipe. Time to do a look through again. We are big curry lovers here.

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    1. Cheri, you might no remember the recipe because there is no picture for the recipe in the book and becaue Dorie mentions "aluminum foil" as opposed to the heatproof parchment paper I used but it is certainly a recipe worth trying at least once, or a variation thereof.

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  10. As always Andrea…your photos are lovely with a beautiful presentation! We enjoyed this one too, even though I cut the curry for Bill! He is not a fan of curry! Have a great weekend!

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    1. Kathy, there are different spice level curry powdesr and your hubby might enjoy a mild mix - we love curry powder, so there was no issue as to the seasoning of this dish.

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  11. gorgeous presentation.
    Stunning food.
    That crust looks AMAZING. xxx

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  12. Andrea your photos always make everything look so good it wouldn't even matter how they taste!

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    1. Guyla, you make me blush, my dear - but thank you so much for the lovely compliment!

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  13. This does make for a beautiful presentation and - an added benefit - it is quite healthy! Your photos are just beautiful, and I can see this combination being flavored in many ways... tarragon comes to mind first. Sorry I have been missing - we have been traveling and for some reason, every time I pulled up The Kitchen Lioness, my iPad shut it down! (I have had a serious chat with my iPad and have mentioned the replacement is a possibility...) Ich wünsche Dich ein schönen Wochenende!

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    1. David, hope you had a wonderful trip - and came back with a lot of lovely inspirations and phots. Looking forward to your upcoming posts then. Too funny about that iPad...
      Tarragon sounds wonderful, love the mild anisseed flavor of that lovely French herb very much.
      Liebe Grüsse,
      Andrea

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  14. What a gorgeous presentation! I only wish the parchment paper was a very crispy pastry!

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    1. Monet, my only regret when cooking "en papilotte" - no crispy pastry but still a very lovely cooking technique.

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  15. I love that you added other veges to the mix. I think you vould add almost whatever uou fancy, and it is such an easy way to cook tender, yummy chicken.

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    1. Gaye, I agree, you can add just about anything that either strikes your fancy or that you happen upon when rummaging through the fridge - a very versatile recipe indeed.

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  16. Using parchment paper makes it look so beautiful at the table! And your substitutions sound delicious and look gorgeous.

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    1. Teresa, I never, ever use tin/aluminum foil for my cooking or baking, always heatproof, unbleached parchment paper - one health concern less, actually.
      Thank you so much for your kind compliment!

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  17. I totally thought that was phyllo pastry for a minute there - and wouldn't this be great in that as well? I love your version - so pretty!

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    1. Mardi, fooled you...just kidding, I just think that heatproof parchment paper makes for the prettiest of presentations and besides, I never cook anything in aluminum foil. Personal preference. Thank you for the kind comment!

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  18. What a lovely dish. I haven't baked in parchment for a while, and I'm not sure why. The presentation of this dish is just lovely.

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    1. Beth, I know what you mean - I tend to forget about this cooking technique all the time. It is fuss-free and it makes for the prettiest of presentations - I will really have to remember to use it more often!

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  19. I've read that Doristas have cooked this both ways - parchment and then foil and foil and then parchment. I think your presentation is gorgeous and I know it's fun to open that packet. I agree with Mardi. I thought it was phyllo dough before you burst my bubble. Liz also used fresh corn and that appeals to me. This was an easy, easy dinner (I made it but haven't posted it ) but I felt it needed more spice and seasoning. Maybe even a squirt or two of sriracha.

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    1. Mary, as far as the extra boost of flavor is concerned - my personal theory on this is that it might depend in part upon the kind of curry powder used in this recipe - if you opted for a medium to hot curry powder as opposed to a mild one, you might just get the spicyness that you were missing here - who knows..
      Thank you so much for your kind comment,
      Andrea

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  20. You have made this look so beautiful Andrea! What a lovely presentation and delicious looking dinner.

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    1. Chris, thank you very much, dear Chris! I saw on FB that you are having a wonderful time with your cute grand-children helping in the garden - how nice! Enjoy!

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  21. I think you had the best presentation for this dish in the group. We loved this one and will definitely make again.

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    1. Thank you, Diane - glad that you and your family enjoyed this "dinner en papilotte" so much - it is a lovely cooking technique to use every so often.

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  22. WOW WOW WOW. You really made this look like something that company should be served. or even that a restaurant would serve !! Love your results and enjoyed reading (and seeing) what you chose to fill your papillote with. All the better when it includes ingredients the family enjoys ~

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    1. Tricia, thank you very much - both Nana´s and your presentation were so very pretty and I was glad to see that both of you enjoyed this Friday´s recipe so much! As far as the red bell pepper is concerned, no offence, but once it is added to a papilotte, the whole dish will often taste like that one veg - which is not s.th. we like - we prefer the more subtle tastes - personal preference that´s all.

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  23. Looks gorgeous! I used regular old parchment paper too because I've had bad luck in past using foil for this technqiue. But my presentation wasn't nearly as nice. Well done.

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    1. Rose, thank you very much - hope you had a wonderful weekend in Paris - according to my own personal experience, baking parchment is the best for cooking en papilotte and its makes for a nice presentation too.

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  24. Very pretty. I cam THIS close to adding corn to mine. Another color!!

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  25. Your presentation is so beautiful, it almost looks like the chicken is baked in filo (instead of parchment). I took the easy route and just used foil, but for a fancier occasion I will definitely use your approach. Lovely dinner.

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    1. Jora, using baking parchment paper is deceiving - you are right, it does look a bit like sheets of filo dough. And I, for one, do not like using aluminum foil in my cooking and baking. If you plan on cooking en papilotte agin soon, you might want to give the parhcment a try!
      Thank you for your kind comment,
      Andrea

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  26. Beautiful presentation, Andrea. I can't get over how lovely you made this dish look.

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    1. Cher, thank you very much - I must admit it it was fun arranging and taking the pictures of the papilottes!

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