Chicken with Mushrooms in a Light Balsamic Cream Sauce

This is a simple but elegant dish that any beginner can cook. No, it is not a gravy, this is a wonderful Balsamic Cream sauce, Thank You Very Much! It not only creates such a mouth-watering aroma that brightens the kitchen, it also seems to reach into that juicy chicken and pull out a flavor and says: “Here, This is the reason you eat Chicken!” It does not mask the food in any way the way some heavy gravies do. You will feel so proud of being able to create such a dish from scratch!

 INGREDIENTS

• ½ lbs egg noodles (that's half the package), cooked according to package directions. When water reaches a boil, add a tablespoon of salt, then stir in the noodles. The salt not only adds a flavor, it gives the noodles a texture that you want. Once the water returns to a boil set your timer. When done, drain and add 2 Tbs of oil and stir it through. This will keep the noodles from sticking together into a large lump!

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breast half’s
• Salt, black pepper, a dash of Herbes De Provence
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces button mushrooms, stems removed, cleaned, and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (finished about 2 teaspoons full)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (About ½ cup full)
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1½ cups chicken stock - You can use a broth, but stock has better taste.
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (do not substitute any other vinegar)
• 1/3 Cup fat free half and half
• Fresh, chopped parsley for garnish if you wish.

Remember the night before: take the chicken out of the package, put it in a resealable plastic bag. Pour in 1 cup of lot fat buttermilk and let sit in refrigerator overnight.

For this dish I used a 5 oz container of non-fat plain Greek style yogurt spooned into a 1 cup measure then filled it up with skim milk. Works fantastically!

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt, black pepper, and a dash of the Herbes de Provence.

2. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches a temp of about 165 degrees.

3. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan, cover and set aside.
   
   
   
    
   Add 2 tablespoons butter into the pan and reduce the heat to medium low.
4. Add in onions and mushrooms. Stir these occasionally until the onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender about 4 minutes. This step brings out the wonderful onion flavors and draws the liquid from the mushrooms. Add in garlic and cook for about 2 minutes more. Garlic will burn so time this part.

5. Sprinkle the vegetables with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Stir that until it is mixed in and allow it to cook for only about a minute.
6. Slowly whisk in chicken stock, then the balsamic vinegar. Whisk well so that it is incorporated. Add in half and half, and urn up the heat to medium. Simmer the sauce until it starts to thicken.
   (Here is the way to tell when it is right. Dip in a wooden spoon. The mixture should coat it slightly, then quickly draw a finger across, it will leave a slight stripe or ribbon The French call this
   “un ruban”! This is the correct thickness for all of your sauces.)
7. Reduce the heat way down to low and add the chicken to the pan, spoon the sauce over the pieces and cover the pan. Let simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes longer.

For fixing the asparagus:

Wash all produce including the mushrooms, in a water bath that has about ½ cup of vinegar in it. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and swish it around, then it is good to go. 

Asparagus has a woody stem that is unpleasant to eat. However it knows by itself where it should snap! Simply hold the tip in one hand and the base in the other, then bend. The stalk will snap apart in just the right place. How easy could it be?

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Now add about 1 ½ TBS of oil to the stalks and spin them around with your hand until each is covered with just a touch of oil. Line that out in the pan in a single layer and sprinkle with kosher salt. If you like a very light sprinkle of garlic powder can be used, but remember less is more!

This tray bakes for 22 to 25 minutes. You will never want asparagus cooked in any other way again.

To serve, arrange the cooked noodles on a platter. Space the pieces of chicken over the top and spoon on the mushrooms and balsamic cream sauce.

“Danske drøm af fjerkræ glæde”

slave is so very lucky to be serving my Master Indy. It is a fulfillment of a dream. Serving is a gift: Be the gift!

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

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The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon