• This creamy, savoury recipe of blue cheese, chicken, and asparagus gratin combines tender chicken breasts, vibrant, crunchy asparagus spears, and a rich, velvety blue cheese sauce.

    Each bite delivers a perfect harmony of flavours, with the tangy blue cheese complementing the succulent chicken and fresh asparagus.

    Baked to golden perfection, this gratin is topped with a crispy breadcrumb crust, adding a satisfying crunch to every mouthful. Whether served as a main course or a side dish, this gratin is sure to impress and become a favourite at your dinner table.

    Blue cheese, chicken and asparagus gratin

    Serves: 4
    Cooking Time: 40 mins

    Ingredients

    • 30ml (2 tbsp) butter
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
    • 4 chicken breasts
    • Sauce

    • juice of 2 lemons
    • 400ml fresh cream
    • 15ml (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard
    • 200g butter, cubed
    • 100ml fresh cream, whipped
    • 2 large egg yolks
    • 20ml (4 tsp) fresh chives, chopped
    • 60ml (¼ cup) blue cheese, crumbled
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • 45ml (3 tbsp) fresh parsley, finely chopped
    • 60ml (¼ cup) Parmesan, freshly grated
    • 30ml (2 tbsp) breadcrumbs
    • 100g baby fennel, cut in half lengthwise
    • 12 asparagus spears, trimmed
    • 100g fine beans, trimmed

    Instructions

    1

    Preheat the oven to 200°C.

    2

    Heat a frying pan with the butter and olive oil, and brown the chicken on both sides. Don’t overcook the chicken. Place the chicken breasts in an oven tray, cover with foil and bake until golden brown and cooked, about 15 minutes.

    3

    For the sauce, heat the lemon juice in a saucepan and simmer until reduced by half. Whisk in the cream and mustard, and reduce by half again. Whisk in the butter.

    4

    Combine the cream, egg yolks, chives and cheese, and whisk into the sauce. Season and set aside.

    5

    Combine the parsley, Parmesan and breadcrumbs and set aside.

    6

    Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and blanch the fennel, asparagus and beans until tender. Refresh in a bowl of ice water, drain and arrange in a large ovenproof dish.

    7

    Remove the chicken from the oven and preheat the grill to the highest setting. Place the chicken on the vegetables, spoon the sauce over and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Grill until the sauce turns golden brown and bubbles, about 2 – 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

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