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Chicken with Balsamic Mushrooms

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I came into a giant tub of mushrooms (a la Costco via Bret) and am frantically looking for mushroom recipes since you can’t really freeze them for later. So far I’ve made this Chicken with Balsamic Mushrooms, Cheesy Mushroom and Jalapeno Quesadillas, and Homemade Cheesy Mushroom Burgers.

I feel like I have mushrooms coming out of my ears, but haven’t gotten tired of them quite yet! So far, this Chicken with Balsamic Mushrooms has been one of my favorites.

The mushrooms are cooked in a combination of olive oil and butter until softened, then the chicken breast is pounded thin, lightly dredged in a nice flour/herb mixture and lightly sauteed. The mushrooms are simmered in a balsamic mustard mixture and then ladled over the tender chicken. The sauce is nice and tangy – you can dial down the balsamic vinegar if you want it a little milder.

This was a fairly easy dish to throw together and makes a nice weeknight dinner along with a side vegetable and salad.

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Chicken with Balsamic Mushrooms

*** 1/2  Good , fairly quick weeknight meal.  Nice tangy sauce.

Servings: 2 -3
Author: Susan Blades
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 C mushrooms , thick sliced
  • Olive Oil
  • 3 tsp butter
  • 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts , pounded thin
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp pureed garlic
  • 1/2 C chicken broth
Instructions

  1. In a nonstick pan, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of butter and saute the mushrooms until soft, 3-4 minutes.  Remove mushrooms from the pan into a bowl and keep warm.

  2. Combine the flour, basil, thyme, salt and pepper on a plate and dredge the chicken breasts until lightly coated.

  3. Add a teaspoon or so more of olive oil and the remaining 1 teaspoon of butter to the pan and turn heat to medium-high.  Saute the chicken, browning on each side, until done - about 6-8 minutes total.  Remove chicken to a plate and keep warm.

  4. While the chicken cooks, combine the balsamic vinegar, mustard and garlic in a small bowl.  

  5. Add chicken stock to hot pan and deglaze, stirring up all the bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook on medium-low for 2-3 minutes, then add the mushrooms back into the pan along with the balsamic vinegar mixture.  Stir and reduce sauce for 1-2 minutes more.  Pour over chicken and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Tips and Stuff:

We only use one chicken breast because when it's pounded thin it makes enough for us to split.

 

 

 

Chicken in Lemon Marinade

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Since citrus season is still going strong, I looked for an entree that would use wonderful, fresh lemon juice.  I found this recipe in the All-Time Favorites Southern Living Cookbook (2009) and knew it would showcase the lemons.  I halved the ingredients to use only 2 chicken breasts and slightly modified the marinade to use what I have in the spice cabinet.

This chicken was as good as it looks!


I used Cholula hot sauce which is milder and more flavorful than Tabasco.

We had a side of steamed broccoli and a slice of parmesan bread to go with the chicken and I felt like we were really doing something healthy!  Since I always have fresh lemons on hand, we’ll make this again on a regular basis.

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Chicken In Lemonade Marinade
***1/2 Tasty broiled chicken breast with a wonderful lemon marinade.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
  • 1/3 C canola oil
  • 1/4 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/8 tsp hot sauce (I used Cholula)
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 boneless , skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
  1. Whisk together the first eight ingredients.  Set aside 1/4 cup for basting.  Place chicken in a zip-lock freezer bag and pour the remaining lemon mixture over it.  Seal the bag and refrigerate for 2 hours, turning chicken occasionally.
  2. Turn oven to Broil.  Remove chicken from the bag, discarding marinade.  Place the chicken onto a lightly greased rack over a broiler pan. Broil about 7 inches from heat 8-10 minutes on each side or until tender, basting frequently with the reserved 1/4 cup of lemon juice mixture.
Recipe Notes

Tips and Stuff:  Since my broiler is under the oven, my chicken was a little less than 7 inches from the fire and 9 minutes on each side was perfect.  Don't forget to baste.  Take the chicken out a minute before you think it's done.  Put it under tented aluminum and let sit for 3-4 minutes and it will finish cooking and be very moist.  You can easily double the recipe for up to 6 chicken breasts.

Chicken Veronique

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At the end of every year, we try to clean out our little standalone freezer so it can be defrosted and cleaned and this year it’s been kind of difficult because it was full to the top with meat!  (That’s why you’re seeing more meat recipes than usual….)

I scoured the recipe books I’ve collected over the years and came across The Joy of Creative Cuisine.  I’m not even sure where or when I bought that one, but it really has some interesting recipes in it.  It was published in 1985 and it’s been fun looking back at those old recipes (and terrible photos).  Remember when fondue was the rage?

The Chicken Veronique recipe popped out mainly because I have all of the ingredients, but also the white wine cream sauce looked divine.

The combination of white wine, lemon juice and cream made a wonderful classic French sauce and baking it in the oven melded all of the flavors together.  Any “Veronique” dish is supposed to have grapes in it, but I didn’t have any so they didn’t get in there.  I think the addition of the cooked grapes would make it even a little better. Use ’em if you got ’em.

I only took one decent photo of the dish.  For some reason chicken dishes are the hardest thing to make look tempting, but I can assure you this one is great and the sauce over the chicken and creamy Yukon Gold mashed potatoes was delicate and delicious.

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Chicken Veronique
****Four stars for the sauce. Oh, and the chicken was great, too. Adapted from The Joy of Creative Cuisine.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 skinless , boneless chicken breasts
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 C white wine
  • 1/2 C chicken stock
  • Grated peel of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 C whipping cream
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 4 oz seedless green grapes , halved  (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt and pepper.  Heat butter and oil in a large skillet.  Add the chicken and saute until lightly browned on each side.  Transfer the chicken to a shallow casserole dish.
  3. Add the flour to the butter/oil mixture in the skillet; stir and cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in the wine and stock and bring to a boil.  Stir in the lemon peel and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and add the bay leaf to the dish.
  4. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Place chicken breasts into a warmed serving dish while you complete the sauce.
  5. Pour the sauce from the casserole dish into a small sauce pan and turn on low.  Combine the cream and egg yolk in a bowl.  Spoon about 3 tbsp. of the warm sauce into the cream/egg mixture to temper it.  Slowly add the cream/egg mixture into the sauce and stir to combine (add grapes at this point if you're using them).  Simmer - don't boil - the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes on low, stirring occasionally.
  6. Discard the bay leaf and spoon the sauce over the chicken.
Recipe Notes

Tips and Stuff:

I only used two chicken breasts and had plenty of sauce left.

You may substitute chicken stock for the white wine, but the wine really adds a unique taste to it and is recommended.

Don't forget to temper the cream and eggs with the warm sauce. You don't want to curdle and scramble.