Chicken and Grapes with Creamy Mustard Sauce and Couscous
Easy and Elegant
Chicken and Grapes with Creamy Mustard Sauce and Couscous | Dara O’Brien
By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press
It’s happened to you, hasn’t it? A favorite restaurant closes, and with it goes that special dish—that one you ordered nearly every time you dined there. That one you never make for yourself because either you’ve tried and you can’t replicate it or they prepare it so well so why bother?
Perhaps the restaurant didn’t close, but just changed its menu and won’t listen to your pleas to bring back just that one item. Either way, it leaves you with three choices: do without, look for another restaurant that makes something similar, or figure out how to make it yourself at home.
I was just beginning to take myself seriously as a home cook when a favorite French restaurant stopped serving my go-to item on their menu: Filet de Porc Sauce Moutarde. I guess mustard cream sauce just isn’t the rage these days because no other restaurant I’ve come across serves it, either. And that’s surprising, because cream sauces are so very good, and mustard cream sauce is really just a little pool of perfection. I would just have to find a recipe.
I found one and tried it, and the results were less than spectacular. But since it wasn’t a memorable meal, I don’t recall why it didn’t work. Time passed, and I never got around to trying another recipe. That changed last week.
I needed to use up some heavy cream, and decided to revive my effort to make a sauce moutarde that rivaled the one I loved so well. I browsed my recipe files and cookbook collection and settled on a recipe for Chicken and Grapes with Creamy Mustard Sauce and Couscous from “Rachael Ray’s Classic 30-Minute Meals” published by Lake Isle Press.
I also found Julia Child’s recipe for roast pork paired with Sauce Moutarde à la Normande, which mixes dry mustard in with apple cider vinegar, heavy cream, and a knob of butter. I intend to try it, but this recipe seemed simple and reliable—and I didn’t have any dry mustard. Plus, it called for grapes, which have recently become a secret weapon I gladly deploy: as an alternative to tomatoes in just about any salad, roasted with salmon, or added to a fragrant red curry. I also happened to have some on hand along with some chicken breasts, so it was a win-win.
I made a few adjustments to the recipe as written. I subbed Dijon for stone-ground mustard, sliced the chicken breasts I already had instead of using tenders, and used heavy cream diluted with a whole milk instead of half-and-half. Two cups of dry couscous seemed excessive for two servings, so I prepared one cup, which was more than enough. I added a side of green beans to complete the meal.
The result was tasty indeed; very smooth, but not at all heavy for a creamy sauce. The chicken and grapes were great together, and the sauce complemented both. Couscous works, so would roasted potatoes, rice or other grains, or more veggies and/or a side salad. It’s easy and elegant, and I will definitely make it again.
One of the best arguments for home cooking is that you are in control of what you eat. You can verify exactly what goes into your meal, and you know the levels of freshness and quality for each ingredient. Plus there’s no hassle about substitutions.
Another advantage to cooking at home: nobody but you can take anything you like off of the menu.
Chicken and Grapes with Creamy Mustard Sauce and Couscous Recipe
Click here for printable recipe.
Makes 2 servings (with leftovers)
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) (once around the pan), plus a drizzle
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 packages (1¼ to 1½ pounds total) chicken tenders
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
⅓ cup white wine (eyeball it)
1 cup half-and-half
¼ cup grainy stone-ground mustard
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups couscous
PREPARATION
Place flour in a shallow bowl. Place a large skillet over medium to medium- high heat; add 1 tablespoon evoo and the butter. Dredge chicken in flour; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and cook until browned, 7 or 8 minutes. Add wine and scrape up browned bits as wine comes to a bubble; cook the liquid down, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Combine half-and- half and mustard and pour the mixture over the chicken. Add grapes to the pan and shake to coat chicken and grapes in sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 to 5 minutes more.
Meanwhile, make the couscous: Bring chicken broth and a drizzle evoo to a boil. Add couscous. Remove pan from heat and cover. Let couscous sit 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
Serve mounds of couscous with chicken and grapes alongside or over the top. Add a green salad for a complete meal.
Recipe from “Rachael Ray’s Classic 30-Minute Meals: The All-Occasion Cookbook” by Rachael Ray, published by Lake Isle Press, 2006
Chicken and Grapes with Creamy Mustard Sauce and Couscous Recipe
from “Rachael Ray’s Classic 30-Minute Meals: The All-Occasion Cookbook”
by Rachael Ray
Lake Isle Press, 2006
An outstanding collection of Rachael Ray's best 30-Minute Meals, now in one volume. Features over 150 meals selected from eight of Rachael's titles. Find ideas for fast weekday suppers, parties, date nights, and meals for kids by kids. a true all-occasion cookbook by the bestselling cookbook author and Food Network personality whose groundbreaking reputation for creating simple, delicious meals in under 30 minutes is now legendary.