A little poached chicken with Herbs de Provence

Moving back to the French theme...this is another iteration of the wine poached chicken that I blogged a couple of weeks ago.  I've seen/heard so much about Herbs de Provence on TV I grabbed a bottle and decided to give it a try with a variation of the wine poached chicken.  I liked it as well as the original version but it is pretty different.

Another foodie item that has made the rounds on the cooking shows is creme fraiche which a French version of cultured cream not unlike sour cream but without the sharp tang of sour cream.  Its actually very silky on the tongue and will appear in a few more recipes as I move forward playing around with it in the coming weeks.  It actually is found in a few of the local stores here in LA so it is readily available.  I found it at Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Market and can be found at Trader Joes and Whole Paycheck Whole Foods as well.

Chicken Poached in Herbs de Provence

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 cups white wine (I used Chardonnay)
• 1 T Herbs de Provence
• 1 T dried onion flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 7.5 oz creme fraiche

Place chicken breasts in a large skillet with lid.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Sprinkle with Herbs de Provence and dried onion flakes.  Pour in wine.  Bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook 20 minutes, turning chicken breasts over half way through the cooking.  (The poaching liquid won't cover the breasts completely but that is fine).
When done cooking remove breasts and increase heat to high to bring the poaching liquid to a boil.  Cook 3-5 minute over high heat until reduced to only a couple of tablespoons of liquid. Reduce heat and stir in creme fraiche until dissolved. Return chicken to the sauce and simmer a couple of minutes until breasts are rewarmed.  Serve over rice.