Sautéed Chicken Lyonnaise
Savory, complex chicken from Escoffier
City/Region: Titanic | United Kingdom | France
Time Period: 1903 | 1912
Second class accommodations aboard the Titanic varied widely. The best rooms could be used for first class passengers, and the worst rooms could be used for third class passengers. The food, though, was basically the same as for first class. They would serve the same dishes to both first and second, but on different nights. “Saute of Chicken, Lyonnaise” was served as part of the fourth course in the last first class dinner, so it’s safe to assume that it would’ve been served to second class at some point.
This dish is delicious. It’s complex with a very subtle sweetness. Modern recipes often add tomato paste or sugar, but this doesn’t need it. I used chicken demi-glace, which was still very good, but I think that a veal demi-glace would be even better. There’s a lot of vinegar in the recipe and it’s not bad, but it is a little sharp. I would cut the vinegar in half at least.
“Sauce Lyonnaise
Heat 50g butter in a pan, add 250g chopped onion and cook slowly to a golden colour. Add 2 dl each of white wine and vinegar, reduce by two-thirds and add 7 1/2 dl Sauce Demiglace; simmer gently, skimming as necessary for 5-6 minutes and pass through a sieve.”
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
- 2 small onions, about 150 g julienned (cut into strips)
- Scant 1/2 cup (100 ml) white wine
- Scant 1/2 cup (100 ml) white wine vinegar*
- 1 1/2 cups (350 ml) demi-glace**
- 4 small chicken breasts
- Salt
- Pepper
- Vegetable oil
*Escoffier uses this much, so I did too, but you could cut it by as much as 75%.
**See notes below.
Instructions:
- Melt the butter in a deep pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown, stirring occasionally.
- Lower the heat and add the white wine and vinegar and let it simmer until it reduces to 1/3 of the original amount.
- Add the demi-glace and simmer for another 5 to 6 minutes. When the sauce is done, pour it through a sieve. Reserve some of the onion for garnish.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a bit of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes, then turn it over and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Plate the chicken, pour some of the sauce over it, and garnish with some of the reserved onions. Serve it forth.
Notes
- Demi-glace is basically a stock that has been reduced down to a rich sauce and is a super flavorful base for other sauces or used on its own. You can make it from scratch, but it's a lengthy process.
- Link to demi-glace: https://amzn.to/3wMCSMv
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