Made Moe one of our favourite dinners tonight. Chicken Breasts Perigord.

I’ve been making this dish for over 30 years. Boneless chicken breasts with a mushroom duxelles stuffed under the skin. With a peppercorn port sauce.

Boneless chicken breasts with skin left on.

With Mushroom Duxelles stuffed under the skin.

Chicken Breasts Perigord

Source: Lucy Waverman – 1989 Seasonal Canadian Cookbook.

This flavorful and elegant chicken is stuffed with a combination
of fresh and dried mushrooms. Because the breasts are stuffed
under the skin, the stuffing moistens the chicken meat and keeps
it juicy. use either dried porcini or dried Chinese mushrooms;
they have the most flavor. The sauce can be made ahead of time and
the breasts stuffed a few hours before baking.

6 Dried mushrooms
1/2 cup boiling chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
4 shallots
8 ounces fresh mushrooms finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried tarragon or basil
3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 single boned chicken breasts, with skin on.

Sauce

1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup mushroom-soaking liquid
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons port or Madeira
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

.
1.
Soak the mushrooms in boiling chicken broth for 20 minutes. Drain
the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid and the mushrooms
separately.Chop the mushrooms.

2.
Preheat the oven to 375°F

3.
Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the
shallots and dried and fresh mushrooms. Saute until all the
liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.
Stir in the basil or tarragon, bread crumbs, cream and parsley.
cook until the cream has reduced and the filling is thick. Season
with salt and pepper.

4.
Divide the filling in six portions. with your fingertips, make a
pocket between the skin and the flesh of each chicken breast.
Stuff the filling under the skin of the chicken breasts. Season
the breasts with salt and pepper and place in a buttered baking
dish large enough to hold the breasts in one layer.

5.
Bake for 30 or 40 minutes, basting occasionally, until the juices
run clear.

6.
To make the sauce, in a frying pan, combine the onions and wine.
On high heat, bring to a boil and reduce until you have 1
tablespoon of liquid.

7.
Pour in the mushroom liquid, reduce to 2 tablespoons and then add
the chicken stock and continue to boil until the stock is reduced
by half. Add the port and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until
the sauce is smooth and strongly flavored.

8.
Combine the cornstarch and cold water and stir into the sauce,
simmering until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and add any juices from the chicken.
To serve, pour the sauce over the chicken breasts.

Note: I used green peppercorns in the sauce.