I will never quite understand the Rachel Ray backlash. OK..maybe venturing into a one hour a day talk show is a bit too much of her high energy giggling, but I think her 30 minute meals are awesome! This chicken dish took 20 minutes to make, and was tasty, delicious, easy to make, and my whole family loved it. I had all of the ingredients on hand, except for the fresh mushrooms, the flat leaf parsley and the shallots (I always stock up on chicken cutlets when they go on sale, and freeze them), so my trip to the grocery store was under $10, and I was in and out in under 10 minutes (including the fact it was senior citizen discount day!). It can definitely be made early in the day, and reheated right before dinner, and it is elegant enough for company. Plus, it was very filling. You do not need to serve any other side dishes with this meal, unless you want to add a simple green salad on the side.
Chicken with Wild Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce
courtesy of Rachel Ray
Ingredients:
Kosher salt
1/2 pound orzo pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces
Pepper
2 tablespoons butter
12 cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
12 white mushrooms, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, a couple turns of the pan
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful
Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add orzo pasta. Cook to al dente.
Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
Return the skillet to the heat, turn heat back a bit, and add the butter. Once the butter melts add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and shallots. Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice the chicken on an angle. Add the parsley and the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about 1 minute.
To serve, pile orzo on dinner plates and top with the sliced chicken and sauce.
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