French Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and a Rosemary Cream Sauce

Do the French eat sweet potatoes? Not as often as we do! But when they do, they often bring them to the table in unmistakably French ways, such as this one.

This is another recipe that, with much trepidation, I axed from my Everyday French Cooking cookbook. There was no truly good reason for omitting this one over the ones that made it into the book; in fact, I think it was a case of “eenie-meanie-miney-moe.” I continue to relish it often!

This recipe falls into the category of “Sauté-Deglaze-Serve” recipes — quick, any-night dishes where you start by sauteing the meat in the pan, then adding a few ingredients, and end by making a fabulous little pan sauce from the pan drippings. It’s 30-minute French cooking at its fresh and simple best. Give it a try, and you’ll see what that chapter is all about.

French Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and a Rosemary
Cream Sauce

French recipes for sweet potatoes are still somewhat rare, but here’s a beauty! The earthy-sweet flavor of the sweet potatoes marries well with the quintessential French flavors of rosemary, shallots, and apple brandy. Oh, and there’s bacon.

Makes 4 servings.

2 slices thick-cut bacon
Vegetable oil
2  1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 3 large sweet potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch dice (4 cups)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large shallot, sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspooon dried rosemary, crushed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup Calvados or apple brandy or 1/4 cup apple juice or cider and 1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.

2. Cook the bacon in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Measure the drippings from the skillet and add enough vegetable oil to equal 1 1/2 tablespoons. Reduce the heat to medium and melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter with the drippings and oil. Add the sweet potatoes and salt and pepper. Cook the potatoes, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened, about 15 minutes; add the shallot and rosemary to the pan after 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven to keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, place the chicken breasts, one at a time, between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

4. In another large skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken (in batches, if necessary) and cook, turning once, until no longer pink inside, 6 to 8 minutes (reduce the heat to medium if the meat browns too quickly). Transfer the chicken to a large platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

5. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chicken broth and the Calvados, taking care not to let the liquid spatter. Stir with a whisk to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the pan to the heat, bring to a boil, and boil until the liquid is reduced to 1/3 cup—this should take about 2 minutes, depending on the heat and your pan size; it will take closer to 4 minutes if you substitute apple juice and wine for the Calvados. Whisk in the cream and cook to the desired consistency.

6. Crumble the bacon and stir it into the sweet potatoes. Arrange the chicken on four dinner plates, arrange the potatoes around the chicken, spoon the sauce over the chicken, and serve.