Cinnamon-crunch chicken

In my search for new and interesting recipes, this one caught my eye, if only because of its unusual pairing of cinnamon spice sugar cookies with chicken. It makes use of speculoos, a buttery cinnamon and spice cookies that is a specialty of northern France, Belgium and Holland, traditionally baked in December around Christmas time.  

Recipe

from Around My French TableServes 21 speculoos (LU Cinnamon Sugar Spice Biscuit)½ cup crème fraîche2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, without tenders, at room temperature1 tbsp unsalted butter or olive oilsalt and pepperUsing a a serrated knife, chop the cookies unevenly so that you've got some cookie powder, some cookie crumbs and some cookie bits. Stir the cookies into the crème fraîche and season with salt and pepper. Pat the chicken breasts dry and slice them crosswise into strips about a scant inch wide. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add half the butter. When it's hot, toss in the chicken strips and sauté, adding more butter or oil if necessary, until the chicken is lightly coloured on all sides and almost cooked through, about 7 minutes.Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add the cookie mixture to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook for another minute, stirring, or until the chicken is coated and completely cooked. Taste for salt and pepper and serve.

Musings

When I first read the recipe, I admit I was a bit dubious--cookies and chicken did not seem like a natural combination. However, it was a wonderfully pleasant surprise. Such a simple combination of really just three ingredients yielded a lovely, tasty meal. It's super easy to make, great for a weeknight. The cookie sauce was aromatic and flavourful, and the chicken was moist. We had a with a side of mushroom risotto. You'll note that it only needs 1 cookie, but this is OK because these cookies are delicious to eat by themselves, so you can have the rest of the box for dessert! This dish also made excellent leftovers, so it's a quick and easy meal that can also give you lunch for the following day. Sold!