Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce
The secret to a good cream sauce is always the same: not too much cream or it can be overpowering, masking the more delicate flavors. Here it contains a bountiful amount of mushrooms and is served over chicken breasts.
Ingredients
- 2 5- ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed (see Tip)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium shallot minced
- 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
- 2 tablespoons dry vermouth or dry white wine
- ¼ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives or scallion greens
Instructions
- Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.
- Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165 degrees F, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
Notes
It's difficult to find an individual chicken breast small enough for one portion. Removing the thin strip of meat from the underside of a 5-ounce breast--the “tender”--removes about 1 ounce of meat and yields a perfect 4-ounce portion. Wrap and freeze the tenders and when you have gathered enough, use them in a stir-fry or for oven-baked chicken fingers.