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1
Soak the wood ears in enough hot water to cover until they are softened, about 10 minutes.
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2
Drain, discarding the soaking liquid.
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3
Cut out and discard the central core from each mushroom.
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4
Cut the wood ears into 1-inch strips.
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5
Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
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6
Coat both sides of the chicken breasts with an even layer of sesame seeds.
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7
Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat.
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8
Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning once, until the sesame seeds are deep golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
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9
The chicken will be quite pink in the center.
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10
Set aside.
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11
Remove 2 teaspoons of grated zest from the orange.
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12
Squeeze 1/2 cup juice from the orange.
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13
Combine the scallion whites, wine, butter, saffron, and orange juice in a small saucepan.
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14
Heat to a boil over medium-high heat and boil until the liquid is syrupy and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes.
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15
Remove from the heat, stir in the zest, and cool completely.
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16
Place the rack in the lowest position of the oven and preheat the oven to 400F.
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17
Trim the fennel bulb by cutting off the stalks.
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18
Cut the bulb lengthwise into quarters and peel off any thick, tough outer layers.
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19
Cut the quarters into 1/4-inch-wide slices.
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20
Toss the fennel slices, red pepper, honshimeji, basil (if using), wood ear mushrooms, and orange juice together in a small bowl until the vegetables are coated with liquid.
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21
Cut 4 pieces of parchment paper or aluminum foil into 14 x 12-inch rectangles.
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22
Crease the rectangles crosswise.
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23
Make a small mound of the vegetables above the crease of each rectangle.
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24
Top each with a chicken breast, running parallel to the crease.
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25
Top the chicken breasts with the remaining vegetable mixture.
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26
Fold the parchment or foil over to cover the chicken and vegetables.
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27
Make several very small folds in the top and both open ends to completely seal the packets.
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28
Arrange the packets in a single layer on a baking sheet.
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29
(The packets may be made up to 1 day in advance.
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30
Cook them directly from the refrigerator, increasing the time to 20 minutes.)
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31
Bake for 12 minutes.
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32
The packets should be puffed slightly, and in the case of parchment, lightly browned.
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33
The chicken should be cooked through and the vegetables crisp-tender.
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34
To serve the chicken, place a mound of rice onto 4 individual plates.
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35
Open the packets (these are steamy hot; keep your face averted) and push the chicken and vegetables out over rice.
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36
Variation: To substitute fish for chicken, choose a thick steak such as cod or swordfish.
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37
Follow the recipe for chicken, skipping step 2 and place steaks in packets up to 1 hour before baking.
