Chicken with Oregano, Lime and Garlic Butter en papillote

Today my attempt was to cook ‘en papillote (pah-pee-YOHT)’. This is French for ‘in parchment’. In Italian it is called ‘al cartoccio’. This is a method of cooking in which the food is put in a pouch or parcel of parchment or paper that is folded to encase the food .

This is a very healthy way of cooking as it requires little or no fat. These tasty en papillote packages holds in all the juices and the food cooked in it usually has more flavour when compared to food cooked with traditional steaming. As the temperature rises the fluids in the pouch start to evaporate,the folds of the pouch trap the steam which is mixed with the flavoring agents you add (herbs, broth or seasoning)and basically cooks the food in flavored steam.Opening one of these pouches on the table should be listed as a form of aromatherapy, a little cloud of steam and a burst of tantalizing smells sure to impress and please your family and guests.

For each parchment you will need

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 slice of lemon

2 twigs of oregano

1 teaspoon garlic butter (recipe follows)

Salt

Pepper

1 teaspoons lemon juice

(Chilly Flakes - Optional) 

1st Step: Cut the paper in the shape of a Heart

2nd step: In each parcel place oregano, top with chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper and   (chilly flakes - optional)   Top with lemon slice, butter and more oregano

3rd Step: Fold the parcel as shown above, arrange on a baking sheet

Place the butter mix on a parchment paper and roll it enclosing it with the parchment

Garlic lemon oregano butter

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/8 teaspoon salt

Allow the butter to soften then mix it with all the other ingredients

Step 4: Place in a preheated oven( 220 C) for 20 minutes

And WOW!!!