Whenever I’m in Budapest looking for a quick lunch, I almost always spot “Chicken Dubarry style” on menus. It’s popular in home cooking too. The dish is a bit fiddly — seared chicken topped with pre-cooked cauliflower, then fresh béchamel and grated cheese, baked until golden — but absolutely worth the effort. I finally tried making it myself and it didn’t disappoint. It’s a wholesome, tasty dinner, and I can easily imagine a lighter, low-fat version as well.
Despite its ubiquity in Hungary, the dish’s origins lie in France. It’s named after Madame Jeanne Bécu, comtesse du Barry, the celebrated beauty and official mistress of Louis XV, who met a tragic end. Dishes bearing the name “Dubarry” usually involve cauliflower in white sauce. The exact reason for the association isn’t clear: some say she adored cauliflower (an odd claim), while others link the dish’s whiteness to her pale complexion or the extravagant white wigs of the era.
(source: theoldfoodie.com)
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 2 chicken breast fillets
1 small head of cauliflower
2 tablespoons sunflower or neutral oil
1 ½ tablespoons butter (20 g)
2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour (20 g)
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons milk (200 ml)
Salt and pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
Grated cheese, about ½–1 cup, depending on how cheesy you like it
Method
- Break the cauliflower into bite-size florets.
- Simmer in salted water until just tender — still with a little bite.
- Drain and set aside.
- Heat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Place each chicken breast between sheets of plastic wrap.
- Gently pound with a rolling pin until evenly flattened.
- Season both sides of the chicken.
- Heat the oil in a pan over high heat and quickly sear the fillets for about 1 minute per side. You just want a little color — they’ll finish cooking in the oven.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
- Whisk in the flour and cook briefly without browning.
- Slowly add the milk in small splashes, whisking constantly.
- Bring to a gentle boil until thickened but still pourable.
- Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Lay the seared chicken fillets in an ovenproof dish.
- Spoon a little béchamel over each piece.
- Scatter the cooked cauliflower evenly across the chicken.
- Pour the remaining béchamel over the top and finish with grated cheese.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Serve hot with rice and a crisp green salad.
