Nov 7, 20223 min read

A Court Of Mist and Fury Chicken Dinner

One of my favorite books is Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Mist and Fury. I often reread this novel, but a scene I almost always go back to is when Feyre, the protagonist, meets Rhysand’s, High Lord of the Night Court’s, Inner Circle. This story is the definition of the trope found family and this scene is when Feyre is introduced to some of my favorite characters: Cassian, Azriel, Mor, and Amren.

During this meeting, they have a simple chicken dinner, which Feyre describes as “Simple, but…elegant. Not formal at all. Perhaps the sweater and pants wouldn’t have been out of place for such a meal” (Maas, 163). I love that Sarah J. Maas included this little detail. Her description of this dinner is such a comfort meal that screams loving family, which is what this group represents. This is the beginning of Feyre finding her new family and it is so fitting that she already hints that she could be comfortable here.

The meal consists of “roast chicken, greens, and bread” (Maas, 163). It would be an actual dream to sit around a table with these characters and as Rhys said, “Remind me to have family dinners more often” (Maas 164). I can imagine sitting along the table in the “warmth and red stone of the dining room” and being able to see the balcony through the two french doors, having just a slight view of the city of Velaris.

The dinner would be Mor and Cassian bantering back and forth as Rhys and Azriel attempt to referee, but join in just as much. The “balance” between Rhys’s “terrifying second”, Amren, and his “disarmingly chipper Third”, Mor, would be fun to see firsthand (Maas, 164). The meal would go quickly with constant stories and laughter, as Mor would likely be filling and refilling everyone’s wine glasses. The dinner would smell delicious, but there would also be a hint of the classic sea and citrus of Rhys.

Now for the recipe, because as More said, “‘Everyone wants to talk-talk-talk [...] Can’t we eat-eat-eat, and then talk?’” (Mass, 163).

For this recipe, I decided on a variation of chicken saltimbocca. It’s a comfort meal that is simple, but absolutely delicious, with flavors including lemon, spinach, and prosciutto.

Ingredients:

Chicken

3 chicken breasts, cut in half.

Salt

Pepper

Flour

Sauce

½ Shallot

4 cloves of garlic

1 cup of white wine

1/4 cup of olive olive

⅓ butter

1 tsp dijon mustard

⅓ cup of heavy cream

½ juice of a lemon

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Flour

Topping

4 cups of spinach

6 slices of prosciutto

6 slices of fresh mozzarella

Recipe:

First, cut the chicken breast in half to have a total of six pieces of chicken. Coat chicken in flour, salt, and pepper. Pan-sear chicken in a stainless pan, with the heat on high. I would not recommend using a nonstick pan.

Then, once the chicken is cooked, take the chicken out, leaving the pan dirty, and begin heating the olive oil and butter in the same pan. Add half a shallot and the cloves of garlic, both cut into dice and sauté.

After the garlic and shallot are sautéed, add the cup of white wine, deglazing the pan, and then turn the stove on low. Next, add the ⅓ cup of heavy cream and mix. To thicken the sauce, add a handful of flour. For a little extra flavor stir in just about one teaspoon of dijon mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the sauce is all stirred together, add the cooked chicken back into the sauce. While the chicken is resting on low with the sauce, sauté the spinach in a separate pan with butter, salt, and pepper.

Finally, layer the sautéed spinach onto the chicken, followed by the prosciutto, and then the mozzarella on top. Broil the chicken with the three toppings on high until the cheese is melted and partially blackened.