Chicken with Sorrel and Capers

Sorrel looks kind of like spinach but has a remarkable lemony flavor. It’s great raw in salads or raw soups. When cooked in this dish it wilts and has a velvety texture. We loved the sorrel and it’s worth searching for it, but you can replace the sorrel with collards, kale, chard, spinach, or arugula; just increase the cooking time (for the collards, kale, or chard) and add some fresh lemon juice to taste. I made version of this for my friend Sandi with a lot of chard, it was equally delicious.

Before adding it to the skillet, I poached frozen chicken in a vegetable broth and lemon juice combination to make it juicy and tender. I then used the poaching broth to cook short grain brown rice with bay leaves, chopped celery, marjoram, and thyme. I stirred in some caramelized shallots at the very end. It was an excellent side dish.

We have a local green house that produces good tomatoes on the vine in the winter. You could replace the fresh tomatoes with chopped or whole canned tomatoes.

Ingredients:
4 shallots, thinly sliced
Dash of each: coriander, paprika
10-12 chicken breast tenderloins (I used poached chicken)
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1-2 T capers
1 large bunch sorrel, chopped into thin ribbons
Oregano, salt, pepper to taste
Olive oil
Fresh minced Italian parsley

Sauté the shallots in olive oil on medium heat with a bit of salt until they begin to release their juices. Add the chicken and brown the chicken on both sides, letting the shallots caramelize a bit as they cook. At this point I sometimes take out the chicken breasts and chop them into smaller pieces (your choice.)

Add the coriander and paprika, stir, then toss in the sorrel, stirring to wilt the greens. Add the capers and just a touch of oregano and black pepper. At the last moment, add the tomatoes and stir until they just begin to release their juices (if using canned tomatoes, you may want to add the tomatoes sooner and cook them longer). Taste to see if it needs any other seasoning. Mix in the parsley at the very end.

It’s great with the brown rice pilaf mentioned above, simple boiled potatoes with butter, or would be nice with a homemade risotto too. Enjoy!