We have a restaurant at the Culinary School I teach at that is student run, both in the kitchen as well as the dining room. It’s an impressive restaurant from that fact alone but to top it off, you get to experience fine dining at a very reasonable price while supporting our students and their growth. When I was a student, I admired the educators and their abilities to balance not only teaching but actually being chefs as well. Never did I imagine that I would one day be in their shoes. So along with creating curriculum, running lectures and guiding them in the kitchen, I would have to create a menu and get it up and running with a limited amount of students for my “staff”. The food would have to be balanced for both them and our guests. Thankfully, everything was a hit. And the dishes were pulled off incredibly well by our students. This was one of those dishes.
It’s not guaranteed that you would run the restaurant at the school. As an educator, you sign up for your classes or choose which ones you would like to take with which ones are left. I have been at the school now for 4 semesters, or a year and a half. I nervously took on a restaurant block last spring with a lot of trepidation. I had managed restaurants from the dining room standpoint but had never been the actual “Chef” in the kitchen. My nerves went in to overdrive but I knew that it would not only make me a stronger educator, but a better Chef as well.
Before I had even reached that block, we had to choose our classes for the Fall. I took on two more turns running the restaurant because I figured at that point, I would be fine with it. Little did I know…
I spent hours creating a menu, breaking down the station requirements, placing orders and working on recipes for the students. Anxiety was high but I continued to remind myself that we would be fine.
A week before class was starting, I stopped at the grocery store on my way home to pick up some food. As I got home, I put my items away, including my yogurts. As I was organizing them in my refrigerator, I stood up two quickly, smacking my head on the freezer. Panic set in. I had had a concussion before, ironically getting it the exact same way. I COULD NOT afford to get another one.
Unfortunately, I did get another one. And I was out of school for the block. I had to hand all of my work over to a very skilled and trustworthy coworker who carried out the class effortlessly. As heartbreaking as it was, I knew I had two more chances in the fall and would avoid refrigerators like the plague leading up to it.
Before I knew it, my time in the restaurant had arrived and I was ready to go! My menu was seasonally based and was set up as a Chef’s Tasting menu, meaning everyone got everything and in smaller portions. It worked out great and I couldn’t have asked for a better crew for my first experience in the restaurant. The two blocks came together very well considering our class size at that time was very small, only having four students to run the kitchen.
Once this past January came around and my third turn in the restaurant, I knew I wanted to switch things up slightly. I was set to have a few more students on this go around, which mean more hands to prepare things. As I set up my a la carte menu, I planned for my now well known Braised Short Rib to be on the menu, as well as my seared scallops. I wanted a chicken dish however that would maybe appeal a bit more to those who were trying to watch their carbs as well as their calories. It was after all, the start of a new year meaning lots of New Year’s Resolutions were in place. I put together a dish that I thought worked but probably wouldn’t be the star of the menu.
As the block came and went, my chicken got stellar reviews, even from the students, who at this point had learned that chicken dishes aren’t always the most popular or the best dishes on the menu. As I posted photos from the restaurant production and what the students had done, several people messaged me asking for the recipe. Honestly, I was quite surprised how well this recipe went over.
So why not put it on here? I’ve become very proud of this dish and the flavors in it. It’s easy to replicate and overall, pretty healthy. You can even tweak it to be healthier at home, which is exactly what I have done here.
So let’s get started! First off, let’s get some carrots and turnips going. Add them into a medium sized pot with vegetable stock, stone ground Dijon mustard, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook them until they are fork tender.
As that is cooking, let’s clean and cut some fresh green beans. You want the edges cut down and the strings taken out. You can also use frozen green beans if fresh are not available where you are. Set them aside.
Next, let’s make our sauce. In a small food processor, combine plain non-fat Greek yogurt, lemon juice, fresh chopped dill, fresh chopped Italian parsley, salt and pepper. Process to combine until the sauce has become light green in color. If you don’t have a food processor, have no fear! You can finely chop your herbs and mix this all by hand in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
I used an airline chicken breast for this recipe in the restaurant, which is just a chicken breast with the wing bone left in. You can easily use boneless chicken breast. Same goes for the skin. I left the skin on my chicken breast for texture, but this can easily be removed to your preferences.
Season your chicken with salt and pepper or a seasoning that you enjoy. I used Trader Joe’s Citrus Garlic Spice Seasoning at home and simply kosher salt and pepper at the restaurant.
Heat a saute pan with a teaspoon of pure olive oil. Once your pan is hot and the oil moves around like water, carefully place your chicken skin side down. If you are not keeping the skin, either side will work.
Season your other side and sear until chicken is golden brown, flip and finish cooking in a 375 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Keep warm.
In another large saute pan, heat half a tablespoon of pure olive oil over medium heat. Add in garlic and green beans. Allow green beans to get some color on their sides, then lower heat and cover pan. Allow green beans to cook until tender.
Drain a little bit of liquid out of your carrot & turnip mix. Then using an immersion blender, vitamix or food processor, puree mix until smooth but still thick. Think of the consistency of mashed sweet potatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Now it’s time to plate. If you are the type that doesn’t like your food touching, then you do you. Or if you prefer to do this family style at your table, go for it! I have plated this similarly to how I did it in the restaurant. So if you really want to wow your guests, go this route.
First, take your plate and using a tablespoon, place a dollop of your herb crema on the plate. Using the bottom of the spoon, drag the sauce in a “swoosh” pattern. Next, place a medium serving of your carrot & turnip puree down. This doesn’t have to look cute or perfect with this plating because we are going to put some other items on top.
Next, place some green beans down on top of/next to your puree. And then finally, land your chicken down on top of both of these. If you have any jus from the chicken, feel free to add that. I placed a few drops of balsamic vinegar glaze on the plate in the restaurant for some drama.
Now, also at the restaurant, I garnished this dish with a small salad of microgreens and fried leeks simply tossed with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. At home, I didn’t get to have any of those things so I just did the same type of garnish with fresh dill sprigs and Italian parsley. Feel free to have fun with this!
Like I said before, I’m proud of how this dish was received and the flavors that come out of it. Some may be discouraged or anxious that there is no “carbs” or “starch” with this dish, but the carrots and turnips taste almost like sweet potatoes. This is a great switch up for family dinner night or a simple yet elegant option for a dinner party. Either way, I hope you enjoy!
Seared Airline Chicken Breasts with Carrot & Turnip Puree, Blistered Haricot Verts and Herb Crema
Serves 4
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 3 cups low sodium vegetable stock/broth
- 3 tablespoon stone ground Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
- Kosher Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 pound Haricot Verts/Fresh Green Beans, cleaned, trimmed and strings removed
- 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4th cup fresh chopped dill
- 1/8th cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- 4 4oz Airline Chicken Breasts, skin left on or off to your preference
- Microgreens to garnish
- Fresh dill to garnish
In a large pot, add carrots, turnips, vegetable stock, stone ground Dijon mustard, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until carrots and turnips are fork tender. Drain slightly and puree with immersion blender, Vitamix, food processor or mash by hand. Keep warm.
While carrots and turnips are cooking, in a small food processor or bowl, combine yogurt, dill, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix to combine until sauce is slightly green in color. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
In a medium saucepan, heat extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until translucent. Turn heat up slightly and add Haricot Verts to pan. Allow green beans to blister on sides, continuously shifting pan around for even cooking. Keep warm.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season chicken breasts with seasoning of choice or just salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once oil is hot, place chicken skin side or wide side down in the hot pan. Allow to sear until chicken is golden brown. Flip over and cook for another five minutes. Finish cooking chicken in over until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees.
To plate chicken, place a tablespoon or more onto a plate and then drag your spoon through the plate. Put a half size cup amount of the carrot/turnip mixture onto the plate. Place the haricot vertes onto the plate and place the chicken carefully on top. Garnish with some microgreens and fresh dill. Serve warm!