Oh, friends. I am so excited to share with you the newest secret ingredient in my cupboard. It’s delicious, and surprising, and no one at your dinner party will be able to guess what that intriguing flavor hiding in the sauce is. Ready? Here it is:
I mentioned last week how I encountered fennel pollen in one of the recipes from our current cookbook tour. I was so intrigued that I went in search of it (online, since our stores were barren of pollen). Google sent me to Pollen Ranch, and the nice folks there shipped me a pollen goodie box. (They want to ship one to you, too! Read all the way to the end for your chance to win one!)
I’ve been cooking with my pollen spice blends all week and am hooked. The flavor is fabulous–like fennel, but not as sharp. The flavor is deeper and earthier and a little bit sweeter. I had been working on this recipe for a couple of weeks, trying to get it just right. It was missing something. Turns out, it needed a little fennel pollen.
Now for GAPS cooking I usually use meat with bones and skins, since that is where so many of the nutrients and the fat are (if you haven’t figured it out yet, GAPS is very pro-fat). But our natural food store had chicken breast on sale all month. I kept buying it until I found myself with a freezer full of chicken breast. Since the chicken breast is low-fat, I use a full stick of butter in this recipe. I realize most people are not eating a high-fat diet, and so you can feel free to reduce the quantity of butter. But trust me when I say a full stick of butter makes this dish extra delicious.
It does seem to me that any kind of pollen has the potential to increase inflammation, so if you’re on GAPS for anything allergy-related, I recommend proceeding with caution. Try a small amount, or even a sniff before eating an entire dish. And you can certainly make this dish without the pollen. However, I, who am notoriously food-sensitive, have had no problems with the pollen in my diet (Hallelujah!) and find that it adds that extra depth of flavor that makes a dish really special.
Pollen Ranch Giveaway!
The thoughtful folks at Pollen Ranch are giving all of you a chance to sample their delicious spices. In your goodie box will be a 0.5 oz tin of Fennel Pollen, and two other spices or blends of your choice (I highly recommend the Zen-sational blend!)
This giveaway will be open from Monday, August 20 until Saturday, August 25 at midnight. The winner will be announced on Monday, August 27. Good luck, folks!
To enter, “like” Pollen Ranch on Facebook using our fancy new giveaway dialog below:
NOTE: Please use the giveaway dialog above to enter the giveaway instead of leaving a comment on this post.
Chicken and Veg with Dijon-Herb Sauce
Be careful when buying Dijon mustard. Many contain sugar and/or gluten.
Source: Erin at Plan to Eat
Course: Paleoish-Main (Chicken)
Main Ingredient: Chicken
Serves:
Ingredients
- SAUCE:
- 1 Tbs fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 Tbs fresh parsley chopped
- 1⁄4 cup Dijon mustard
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbs lemon juice (or GF apple cider vinegar)
- 3⁄4 tsp fennel pollen
- 1 Tbs honey (optional)
- CHICKEN:
- 6 Tbs organic butter or ghee
- 11⁄2 pounds organic chicken breast sliced
- 1 small leek sliced thinly
- 8 ounces mushrooms quartered
- 2 medium zucchini sliced thickly and halved
- 1⁄4 cup white wine or homemade chicken broth
Directions
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside to let the flavors “marry”.
- In a large skillet, heat the butter until melted. Add the chicken breast. Season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned.
- Add the leeks, mushrooms and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft. Pour wine or broth into the pan to deglaze, and simmer for about a minute. Add the Dijon sauce and stir well until warmed through.
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