Nothing beats the simplicity of a complete meal wrapped and cooked in a foil packet. We could be camping. Food baked in foil packets, or en papillote, has been lauded for its healthfulness and ease, but our first attempts gave us overcooked chicken, mushy vegetables, and overall blandness. We started over by softening fennel in the microwave with olive oil, pepper flakes, and thinly sliced garlic; we
then tossed in crunchy radishes. The seasoned veggies made a moist, flavorful “rack” on which we set the chicken so it would steam evenly. We chose quick-cooking boneless chicken breasts, and to ensure that
the seasoning permeated the flesh, we refrigerated the prepared meat and vegetable packages for 30 minutes before cooking. Leaving headroom at the top of the packets allowed maximum steam circulation for even cooking, and checking the temperature of the chicken through the foil let us monitor its progress. For added flavor, we topped the chicken with Pistachio-Tarragon Pesto (this page). The chicken is juicy on its own, and you can use it to sop up every last bit of this incredibly flavorful sauce. You should have about 4 ounces of fennel after trimming.
Directions :
- Microwave fennel and oil in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add radishes and toss to coat.
- Spray two 20 by 12-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil with olive oil spray. Pound thicker end of chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic to uniform ½-inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Position prepared foil sheets on counter with long sides parallel to counter edge. Arrange vegetable mixture into 2 shallow piles in center of sheets. Lay 1 chicken breast on top of each vegetable pile.
- Bring short sides of each foil sheet together and crimp to seal tightly. Crimp remaining open ends of packets, leaving as much headroom as possible inside packet. Refrigerate packets for 30 minutes.
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Arrange packets on rimmed baking sheet and bake until chicken registers 165 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. (To check temperature, poke thermometer through foil and into chicken.)
- Transfer sheet with packets to wire rack and let sit for 5 minutes. Transfer chicken packets to individual dinner plates, open carefully (steam will escape), and slide contents onto plates. Top each portion with 3 tablespoons pesto and serve.
Chicken And Radishes
Ingredients
- ½ fennel bulb 6 ounces, stalks discarded, cored, and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges, layers separated
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 radishes 4 ounces, trimmed and quartered
- 2 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 6 tablespoons Pistachio-Tarragon Pesto
Instructions
- Microwave fennel and oil in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add radishes and toss to coat.
- Spray two 20 by 12-inch sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil with olive oil spray. Pound thicker end of chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic to uniform ½-inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Position prepared foil sheets on counter with long sides parallel to counter edge. Arrange vegetable mixture into 2 shallow piles in center of sheets. Lay 1 chicken breast on top of each vegetable pile.
- Bring short sides of each foil sheet together and crimp to seal tightly. Crimp remaining open ends of packets, leaving as much headroom as possible inside packet. Refrigerate packets for 30 minutes.
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Arrange packets on rimmed baking sheet and bake until chicken registers 165 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. (To check temperature, poke thermometer through foil and into chicken.)
- Transfer sheet with packets to wire rack and let sit for 5 minutes. Transfer chicken packets to individual dinner plates, open carefully (steam will escape), and slide contents onto plates. Top each portion with 3 tablespoons pesto and serve.