Nancy Fuller's Boneless Chicken Breast with Boursin on the Rachael Ray Show

Homemade Boursin Cheese

Nancy Fuller was on Rachael Ray a few episodes ago, and made Boneless Chicken Breast with Boursin Cheese from her cookbook Farmhouse Rules: Simple, Seasonal Meals for the Whole Family.  I do not have this book, I am pretty sure I don't need any more cookbooks.  But this recipe caught my eye because RJ loves Boursin cheese.  I told him I was going to make it, and he reminded me that I had his mom's recipe for it.  I decided to make the Boursin, and then make the Boursin chicken.

Giant Chicken Breasts

I actually used part of RJ's mom's recipe, and one from the internet.  I liked the combination of dried and fresh herbs.  And no wonder Boursin is so good, it's cream cheese mixed with an entire stick of butter.  What?? That is crazy!  I used 1 stick of butter, 16 oz. of cream cheese, fresh dill, thyme, marjoram, basil, black pepper, and chives.  I skipped the parsley because I hate it.  After whipping it, it chilled in the refrigerator for 24 hours.  RJ said A. It wasn't creamy enough.  I said it was creamy when I made it yesterday.  B. He didn't like the dill, it was too strong.  Well, I like it and I'm using it anyway!

Leeks

For the chicken, I purchased leeks, baby spinach, chicken broth, and tarragon.  Again I skipped the parsley. I had to google how to clean a leek as I have never used them before.  Only use the light green and white parts, and separate the layers to wash out the grit.  My mistake was the chicken breasts were huge.  I am famous for using too big or too much of something in a recipe.  I recently made banana bread that required 3 bananas, but I used 7.  Guess what, that didn't work.  It was more of a banana blob then banana bread, but it was good warm with vanilla ice cream on top.

Spinach

First I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper, and browned it in olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes. I moved it to a plate, and added more olive oil and the leeks and cooked them for 4 minutes. Next I added white wine for 2 more minutes, added the chicken back in the pan with the broth, and cooked it for 8 more minutes.  But thanks to my giant chicken breasts, they weren't done yet.  I had to use a thermometer, and it took another 8 minutes.  At this point the leeks were too browned.

I think the chicken looks better before the sauce

In another pan I melted the butter and added garlic and cooked the spinach until wilted.  This only took about 4 minutes, but the chicken still wasn't cooked through. Finally, the temperature reached 160.  I plated the spinach and the chicken, and added the Boursin to the liquid and whisked it. I forgot the tarragon so threw it on at the end.  Tarragon is something else I have never used.  It tastes like a leafy version of anise which I love.

Boursin and Leek Sauce

My chicken looked nothing like Nancy's, but it was very juicy.  RJ said it was rich.  He seemed to like it, but not love it.  If he loves it, he tells me and he didn't tell me. The plate definitely looked better before I put the sauce on it. The over browned leeks made the sauce extra brown.  It was still good though, and I really liked the leeks.  If I made it again, I would use smaller chicken breasts.

The finished dish before I remembered I forgot the tarragon 

Finished and nothing like Nancy's!