This dish has an amazing sauce and can be made with either shrimp or crayfish. Don’t buy the peeled precooked shrimp. Get yourself the fresh shrimp with shell on, because you will need the shells for the sauce.
This recipe takes a little effort and will take 30-45 minutes, so you may want to try it for the first time on a weekend when you can take your time.
For the bouquet garni, I used parsley, oregano, and thyme.
Ingredients
4 skinless chicken breasts cut in halve (8 pieces total)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 large shrimp with shells or crayfish with heads if possible
2 tablespoons flour
1 medium onion – halved and sliced
¾ cup white wine
1 ¼ cup chicken stock
3 tomatoes – quartered and seeded
2 garlic gloves finely chopped
Bouquet garni
6 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt and ground pepper
Parsley to garnish
Directions
Wash the chicken, pat it dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the vegetable oil in a stockpot and cook the shrimp or crayfish (with shells and heads) over medium high heat until they are a bright color.
Remove the shrimp or crayfish, and let cool. Then peel away the heads and shells and set them aside (we will be using them shortly. Refrigerate the peeled shrimp or crayfish tails.
Add the chicken to the stockpot and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes until golden brown, turning to brown each side. Cook in batches if necessary. The chicken may not be cooked all they way through, which is fine. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Pour off the fat in the stockpot except for 1 tablespoon.
In the same stockpot, cook the onion over medium-high heat until golden, stir frequently. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and continue to cook for 2 minutes. The bottom of the stockpot may get sticky. Now add the wine and bring to a boil, stirring constantly and scrapping the bottom of the stockpot (deglaze).
Add the chicken broth, shrimp or crayfish shells and heads, tomatoes, garlic and bouquet garni, and chicken pieces into the to stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked all the way through.
Remove the chicken pieces from the stockpot, be sure to wipe off any onion strands or tomatoes from the chicken. Strain the liquid in the stockpot and extract as much liquid as possible. We want only the liquid so keep the shells, and vegetables out of the stock.
Discard the vegetables, shells, and bouquet garni and return only the liquid back to the stockpot. You may have to quickly rinse the stockpot before returning the liquid. Add heavy cream and boil until reduced by one-third.
Return the chicken pieces to the stockpot and simmer for 5 minutes. Just before you serve, add the shrimp or crayfish tails and heat.
Arrange two chicken pieces in the center of the plate. Take three shrimp or a crayfish and arrange around the chicken. Pour some sauce over the chicken and shrimp/crayfish and garnish with fresh parsley.
