"Chicken Princess" by Governor James Blanchard
Some dishes I start making, and there’s a bit of a question as to how they’ll turn out. Sometimes mid-way through the process, someone enters the kitchen and has to leave our house because a pungent smell is permeating and destroying their sense of self. Sometimes the dish comes out looking a little less beautiful than implied by its beautiful name. Sometimes it’s all three — Governor James Blanchard’s Chicken Princess.
Chef James Blanchard
Democratic Governor from Michigan
As always, the recipe here is word for word from the Minnesota-hating governor, and I recreated it with exactitude:
INGREDIENTS
4 six-ounce boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
3 tbsp oil
12 blanched Michigan asparagus spears
12 oz crab meat
4 oz Tabor Hill Vidal Blanc Demi-Sec
16 oz cooked rice
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Dust chicken with flour, sauté in oil until golden brown on both sides.
Your choice of oil — I love it when our politician-chefs give us freedom of choice like this — and I went with EVOO. These breasts browned up nicely after about five minutes on each side.
2) Add asparagus, crab meat and cook until heated.
I couldn’t find “Michigan asparagus” but if the varietal of asparagus is what makes or breaks this recipe…
3) Add wine and reduce to simmer. Serve on rice.
I love the mystery here, as the governor doesn’t tell us how long to keep the alcoholic crab chicken simmering. Without photos of his intended final Princess, I was unsure of whether it was supposed to be swimming in sauce or mostly-reduced. It tasted quite strongly of wine after about 10 minutes, so I let it go for another 10.
Voila! Royalty has arrived — and I have to say, this little Princess sure packed a punch. Crab and chicken marry together to form a holy union that’s altogether palate-shocking. Browned alcoholic crustacean and sopping wet breast fill your nostrils. Is it the most attractive dish I’ve made for this blog? No. Is it the most flavorful? No. But is it the most fascinating?
No.
Verdict:
Absolutely awful presentation. Cooking crab and asparagus for 20 minutes zapped all the freshness and flavor from the dish. Beige is the color, beige is the flavor. My wife really did leave the house because of the scent.
