65: Pan Braised Chicken / Herbed Garlic Cream Sauce / Green Beans

Yum, yum, yum, get in my tum! Ok, so that was really corny, but this dish is not! I must admit I’m not the biggest chicken fan in the world, but the woman enjoys it. Thus, I enjoy cooking it for her. I also had some heavy cream that I was either going to use or throw away, so I opted to use it.

The key to this recipe is using a really good white wine. Some argue that you don’t cook with wine you won’t drink, yet I don’t necessarily agree with that all the time. I did, however, buy Rombauer Chardonnay to make this dinner. The bright and intense floral and tropical fruit flavors as well as the buttery nature of this wine do wonders for this sauce. You shall not be disappointed.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 chix breast filets, 6 oz each

1/2 pound fresh green beans

1 large shallot, sliced lengthwise

2 garlic cloves, chopped

3 large cremini mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup white wine

3 tablespoons total of minced rosemary and thyme

Flour

Olive oil

Butter

Salt + pepper

Chicken and sauce—Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil with 1 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat. Cook until butter stops foaming, about 3 minutes. Sweat shallots until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Remove shallots and set aside. Now brown the chicken in the same pan, about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Remove chicken and set aside. Add white wine and reduce by half. Now add shallots back as well as mushrooms, cook for a couple minutes. Lower heat to medium and add cream, simmer for a few minutes. Add herbs with salt and pepper, and simmer this for another couple minutes. Add chicken breasts back to this pan, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside when finished. Add a tablespoon of flour to the sauce and simmer on low for 5 minutes to create thickness and creaminess, stirring occasionally. Serve sauce over chicken using a slotted spoon. You don’t want a ton of sauce because of its demi glace like nature – highly concentrated.

Green Beans—Pretty standard set up here. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté green beans for 5 minutes with salt and pepper.

Plate, serve, and enjoy!