Elegant Easy Chicken

Jenny is in perpetual search for easy, weeknight recipes to attempt to feed her family. When they balk, she just eats more.

Oh I’ve felt the hot scorn that so many of you aim at the boneless chicken breast. I know that you believe it to be a useless blob, the Kourtney Kardashian of proteins, an also ran, a who-needs-it-when-you’ve-got-other-things-to-choose-from kind of deal. (My 13-year-old helpfully points out that Kim Kardashian was married for 72 days, which she thinks makes her more problematic but not necessarily more like poultry. So I am just putting that out there.)

But I really love a chicken breast paired with white wine and cream: so old school, so easy, so easily paired with a gin and tonic.

What is nice about Elegant Easy Chicken is that it sort of uses things that are left over around the house, like your bottle of white wine that you’ve tired of, the last bits of cream in your container, a final portion of chicken stock. The herbs are optional and can be replaced with other herbs; it’s really all about ease.

The nice thing about browning your chicken in a pan is you’re going to get some nice pan juices, even from a boneless breast. I added another step here by tossing two chopped shallots into the pan, softening those up for about five minutes before proceeding with that sauce. I did not add my cream here, but rather at the end, so I would use just enough to get the lift I was looking for. Also I used a half a cup of wine, and let it all cook down nicely.

After the chicken was cooked through, I tossed it on the plate and covered it with my delicious pan sauce with a side of, yes again, orzo. No tomatoes or rosemary springs for Jenny, as she doesn’t garnish.

Elegant Easy Chicken by kittychi99

Serves 4

3 tablespoons salted butter
4 chicken breasts, split, skinned, boned & flattened
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup champagne or white wine
1/2 cup cream (half & half)
2 tablespoons champagne mustard
24 grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 tablespoon fresh minced tarragon
1/2 tablespoon fresh rosemary
4 to 8 fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photo by James Ransom