Recipe #90 - Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Cream Sauce

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I found this recipe on EatingWell.com while searching for a health recipe for my brother (who is trying to eat better).

Season chicken with salt and pepper 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. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add shallots to the pan and cook, stirring, untili fragrant, about a minute. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine like I used); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 3 minutes.

Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 2-4 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer.

Returen the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Place the chicken on a plate, coat with sauce and serve with a veggie of your choice (I used fresh steamed green beans!)

This was delicious! I thought it was interesting to make my own mushroom cream sauce rather than using it out of the can like I have been for the last 25 years of my life. I never really thought about making it from scratch, but am glad I did. I like the more large chunks of mushrooms in the sauce. (Though I know that over half the people I cooked it for did not! Lol. I ended up eating all the mushrooms they were picking out.... so wrong!)

Rating: 9
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Nutrition, per serving: 275 calories | 15 g fat | 84 mg cholesterol | 5 g carbohydrates | 25 g protein | 1 g fiber | 373 mg sodium | 370 mg potassium
Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (34% daily value).
Exchanges: 1 vegetable | 3 lean meat | 2 fat
Ingredients:
4 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs like I used), trimmed and tenders removed
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon canola oil
2 medium shallots, minced
2 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
4 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or green scallions

Recipe #9 - Green Beans w/ Almonds

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To my defense, I was making this the same night as the sliders when the electricity went out. I, fortunately, was able to complete the sliders, but had to stop in the middle of this recipe.

I started by lightly toasting the almond slivers in a dry skillet, stirring constantly because they can burn easily. This takes 3-5 mins. 

Heat butter in skillet over medium-low heat. cook and stir shallots and red bell peppers until softened, about 8 mins. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper to taste and reduce heat to low. Cover, and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the shallots caramelize, 5 to 8 minutes.

Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer, and bring the water to a boil. Add the green beans, cover, and steam until just tender enough to pierce with a fork, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the green beans, place them into the skillet with the shallot mixture, mix well, and gently stir in the toasted almonds.

Now, I had to refrigerate the beans and caramelized mixture (due to the power outage) before I could mix them together. So the next day in the daylight, still with no power, thank God for gas stoves, I finished steaming the beans and mixed them together. Topped with the almonds. 

It was surprisingly very bland. I added garlic salt and more pepper once they were on my plate and it helped a bit, but something huge was still missing. I can't tell if it was the two part preparation of the food or if it's lacking more seasoning. Anyways, not my favorite. So the search is still on for a good steamed green bean recipe.

Time: Would have been 40 mins.
Rating: 2
Serves: 4
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 5 small shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped