This recipe came about from a simple request from my husband, who was looking for something "saucy" for dinner. Pasta was the immediate answer, but rejected pretty quickly as we had been blowing out on carbs that entire week and needed something more meaty. A quick rummage around the fridge revealed our answer - chicken and mushrooms.
Although this recipe includes a few steps, it can all be done in one pan making clean up a breeze. It also contains no cream, making it a healthier version of the dish, and is delightfully low carb. I used a cast iron skillet for this recipe, but if you don't have one handy you can swap for any pan that is oven safe.
After browning the chicken (should be a dark golden brown), you will need to saute the onion, garlic and 'shrooms together with some flour until little brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan. Don't freak out here! These brown bits are not burnt - instead they are little flavour bombs that will come out during the deglazing stage. It's not the most perfect photo, but you can use the one to the right to give you an idea of how far to take your mixture before adding the wine.
Once you've deglazed the pan and added in your liquid, you need to chuck the chicken back into the pan before popping into the oven. This method of cooking the chicken keeps it extra moist, as it soaks up gorgeous juices while baking.
As you will see in the recipe, I garnished with a sliced red chili. If you don't like heat, feel free to leave this out. Or, you could replace with a mild chili rather that a hot one. It adds a nice pop of freshness and excitement to the dish.
This meal is lovely on its own, but if you would like to bulk it up I suggest serving with a side of baked baby potatoes and steamed green beans. It is also great with a dry white or a hearty red, such as a Shiraz or Merlot. Enjoy!
Chicken and Mushrooms with a Hint of Heat
Ingredients
- 2 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts
- Fresh ground salt & pepper, for seasoning
- Olive oil, for seasoning
- 4 tbs butter
- 1/2 medium onion, minced
- 2 large (or 3 medium) garlic cloves
- 8oz mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tbs flour
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 1 red chili, sliced
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350F. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 2 Heat 2 tbsp butter in a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat (if you don't have a cast iron skillet you can use any pan that is oven safe). Brown chicken on all sides until deep golden brown. Take out of the pan and set aside.
- Step 3 Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 2 tbs butter, onion, garlic and mushrooms to the pan. Saute until onions become translucent and mushrooms soften, about 5-7 minutes.
- Step 4 Add flour and cook until you start to see golden brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan (about 2-3 minutes).
- Step 5 Deglaze your plan by pouring in your wine and scraping up any brown bits. Cook until most of the wine has been absorbed by the mushrooms, another few minutes. Add chicken broth and milk and bring to a simmer.
- Step 6 Once your sauce has come to a simmer, take off the heat and add back your chicken, skin side up. Top with thyme and rosemary springs. Transfer your skillet to the preheated oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the chicken reads 160 (chicken is cooked to 165, but if you take out at 160 it will continue to cook that final 5 degrees while resting).
- Step 7 Remove your chicken from the pan yet again and set aside to rest. While resting, place your pan back on a medium-high heat and cook, stiring constantly, until the sauce is thick enough to cover the back of a spoon.
- Step 8 Remove from heat, add your chicken back in and top with sliced red chilis. Serve right from the pan! This goes great with some baby baked potatoes and fresh steamed green beans.
