Chicken with Cointreau sauce

Chicken Cointreau

Adapted from “The New Carry-out Cuisine” by Phyllis Meras.This 1988 book features food one could get as take-out from a variety of food purveyors around the country, several of which are no longer extant, as is the way of most restaurants. This one is from Gourmet Pasta on Great Neck Long Island.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to less than a half inch

1 egg

Flour

Cooking oil

¾ cup white wine

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup orange liqueur

4 tablespoons butter

Method:

Dip flattened chicken breasts in egg, then flour. (Keep the leftover flour for later in the recipe.) In an oven-safe pan, fry chicken in enough oil to not quite cover the pieces, cooking until golden on both sides. Remove from pan; drain excess oil. Add butter; melt. Add some scrapings of flour and whisk. Add wine, orange juice and liqueur and cook until reduced by half. Return chicken to pan, turning to coat pieces. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. If sauce isn’t yet saucy enough, remove chicken to plates and cook sauce until reduced.

I opted for this recipe because of the oversupply of orange liqueur in the house. I paired it with herbed orange rice and steamed green beans. It falls into the category of fine enough: decent texture and flavor on the meat and a nice flavor to the sauce. I wouldn’t consider it carry-out fodder, since it would be best served immediately, but oh well. The sauce could have wider applications.