Baked Chicory with Chicken in Sage‑Mustard Sauce

• head of white chicory↗3
• olive oil↗1 tbsp
• dry white wine3 tbsp

  chicken stock or water

• skinless, boneless chicken↗4

  breasts

• butter↗25 g
• shallot↗1

  finely chopped

• garlic↗1

  chopped

• butter↗25 g
• all‑purpose flour↗1 tbsp
• milk↗300 ml
• crème fraîche↗150 ml

  or sour cream

• sage↗4-6

  leaves, chopped

• smooth Dijon mustard↗2-3 tsp
• grainy Dijon mustard2-3 tsp
• grated Gruyère50 g

  or cheddar

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C with convection (or 200 °C conventional, gas 6). Trim the ends of the chicory stalks, remove soft or damaged leaves, then cut each stalk lengthwise into four pieces. In a large shallow baking dish, evenly spread olive oil, place the chicory pieces skin side up in a single layer. Pour the wine, chicken stock or water over them, cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. 2

   Slice the chicken fillet into 1 cm wide strips, season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt butter until it foams, add the chicken strips and sauté for 4‑5 minutes until golden. Add the shallot and garlic, cook another 1 minute while stirring constantly. Remove the dish from the oven, place the chicken mixture onto the chicory, cover with foil again and set aside while you make the sauce.

3. 3

   In the same skillet, melt 25 g butter, add the flour and whisk quickly to form a roux. Gradually pour in the milk, whisking continuously until the sauce thickens. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the crème fraîche (or sour cream), the chopped sage, and 2 tsp each of smooth and grainy Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste, adding more mustard if desired.

4. 4

   Pour the sauce over the chicory and chicken, sprinkle grated Gruyère (or cheddar) on top. Bake uncovered for another 25‑30 minutes until the sauce bubbles and the top turns golden.