As you know, or at least I hope you know, the Top Chef Masters finale was this past Wednesday. If you don’t want a spoiler – stop reading now. You’ve been warned.
You may remember my track record with Top Chef. Well, lighting struck again and Chris Cosentino WON!! All I could do is bounce up and down on the couch when announced the win! Let’s be honest, I was totally biased toward Chris when I first saw him walk into the Top Chef Masters kitchen. {I was so confident, I wrote this post intro on Sunday. What?}
I think Chris is just such an amazing chef who really stays true to his food and helps diners/cooks reach outside their comfort zone with his love of Offal. This win was so well deserved in my eyes. I really am in awe of him. Bucket List – eat at Incanto. I’ll keep you posted.
But today, something simple. This dish is easy to make and is beautiful to eat. Comfort on a plate. Thanks to Monica for the recipe.
One Year Ago: Banana Banana Bread

Chicken Imperial
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 ounces French baguette
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 tablespoons, room temp and 2 tablespoons melted
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley minced (or 1 teaspoon dried parsley), plus more for garnish
- 2 cloves garlic minced (I used 1 teaspoon crushed garlic)
- 1 shallot minced
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme minced (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup dry white wine I used a Sauv Blanc
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
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Sprinkle salt over chicken breasts. Cover with place in fridge while preparing topping.
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
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Put bread, 3 tablespoons softened butter, 2 tablespoons parsley, garlic, shallot, thyme, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until fully combined.
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{Monica puts her shallot in the sauce. I wasn't paying attention and put it in the topping. You can’t go wrong either way.} My topping was more paste like. Monica’s topping looked bready and fluffy. Either way the flavor rocks and that’s what’s important.
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Whisk together cream, chicken broth, wine, and mustard.
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Pat chicken dry and season with pepper. Arrange chicken in an X (for 4 breasts, or side-by-side for 2 breasts) in a large skillet. Brush the chicken with melted butter, then distribute the topping evenly between the chicken. If you topping is more paste-like too, press i down some to cover the entire breast.
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Carefully pour 3/4 of the cream mixture into the pan around the chicken.
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Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until topping ir golden brown and chicken is cooked through.
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Gently remove chicken from the pan; set aside and keep warm.
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Add the rest of the cream mixture to the pan and whisk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. {Be careful, the skillet handle will be HOT!}
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Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with remaining parsley, salt and pepper.
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Serve chicken over mashed potatoes, top with plenty of sauce, and a little sprinkling of parsley.
