Priyu.com – Salsa..Samosa..& Smore

I decided to name this dish after the town that is world famous for its premium quality peppercorns, Tellicherry. Tellicherry is a small coastal town in the state of Kerala in India. The name Tellicherry is the anglicized version of the local name Thalassery. I happened to stop by in Tellicherry on a road trip to Kerala and picked up a pack of green peppercorns. Thankfully, you don’t need to travel to Tellicherry to get green peppercorns. You can find it most specialty food stores. Green peppercorns are the still unripe berries of the peppercorn vine. These immature peppercorns are picked while still green, quickly steamed, and air dried. They have that fresh crisp flavor of just picked herbs, but with the fiery kick of freshly ground pepper, although they are not as hot as black peppercorns. Do give this dish a try to experience a new way of enjoying peppercorns!

What you need:
3 Chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons Green Peppercorns, roasted and ground into a coarse powder
1/2 Cup all purpose flour
4 Tablespoons of sunflower oil
One small yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Tablespoon butter
2 Splashes of green Tobasco
1/4 cup light cream
1/2 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt to taste

How to make:
• Wash and pat the chicken breasts dry
• Butterfly each breast. To butterfly chicken breasts, slice breasts in half lengthwise about ¾ of the way through, leaving a seam on one end. (When the breast is opened up, it will look like the wings of a butterfly.)
• Season the chicken with salt and about 1/4 tablespoon of the ground peppercorns.
• Season the flour with salt and another 1/4 teaspoon of the ground peppercorns and mix well.
• Coat the chicken with seasoned flour and shake off the excess. Keep it aside.
• In a pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat.
• Add the chicken and cook each side for 3 minutes each or till the juices run clear when pierced with a fork.
• Remove from pan and keep it warm.
• Heat the remaining oil in the same pan.
• Add the onions.
• After a minute or so, add the garlic.
• Cook the mixture still it softens and becomes fragrant.
• Add the stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow it simmer till it reduces to half the quantity.
• Add the butter, remaining peppercorns and the green tobasco. Mix well till the butter melts.
• Add the cream and allow the mixture to simmer for 4-5 minutes.
• Add the lemon juice and salt to taste and allow it to simmer for another 30 seconds.
• Strain the sauce through a sieve and press down with a spatula to extract maximum flavor.
• Pour the strained sauce over the chicken. Serve hot.