Chicken with Madeira Cream Sauce

I think this is officially my favorite chicken recipe; and it's easy! It's from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1" and requires very few ingredients. The chicken is baked in butter in a dutch oven covered with parchment paper. Julia Child says the chicken requires only 6 minutes or so to cook, but I think this was before the time of our oversized American genetically engineered chickens because my thin sliced bread fillets take around 13 minutes to cook at 400 °C in the oven. Once the chicken is done, transfer it to a plate and keep it in a warming oven until the sauce is done. To the juices and butter in the pot add 1/4 cup Madeira wine and 1/4 cup beef broth. Heat these on medium-high heat and reduce to a syrupy consistency. At this point, add 1 cup of heavy cream and heat for a few minutes until the sauce thickens a bit. In the photo, I've spooned some of the sauce over the chicken cutlets and garnished with some parsley.

As a side note, some people are surprised by the use of beef broth in the sauce with a chicken recipe. Julia Child says you can use either but I found the beef stock compliments the Madeira wine better than chicken stock. The sauce can be made separately and served with vegetables as well. I served steamed haricot vert lightly buttered and salted and sauteed quartered mushrooms with green onions, shallots, and garlic. Both these side dishes taste delicious with the Madeira cream sauce. Serve everything with some good French bread, and you're done!