Sautéed Breasts of Chicken with Garnish of Mushrooms

This is my favorite way to serve breast of chicken, and I especially like it with wild rice. I often serve it just as is, or will sometimes add the cream sauce to it.

Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts, split, skinned, and boned

• ½ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

• ½ stick butter

1. Wipe the chicken breasts with a damp cloth. Shape them with your hands, then dip them in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.

2. Place the floured pieces on a platter or sheet of waxed paper, and let them rest an hour or so to let the flour set well on the flesh.

3. To cook, heat a 10” skillet, add a half stick of butter, and as the peak of the foaming stage begins to subside, add the chicken breasts, plump side down. Cook over medium-high heat for 4 minutes and turn. Sauté 3 minutes on the flat side. Place the sautéed pieces of chicken in a hot, buttered casserole. Dot with thin pats of butter and place in a 325°F oven. This will safely hold the chicken without drying for as long as 15 minutes, and allows time to finish preparing the rest of the meal. Reserve the pan juices in the skillet for the sauce.

4. Add the mushrooms to the casserole, squeezing more lemon juice over the contents. If you are serving the chicken breasts without the cream sauce, sprinkle over some finely cut parsley.

Cream Sauce

• 1 pint heavy cream

• 3 tablespoons sweet sherry

• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon

• Nutmeg

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. To prepare the cream sauce, pour the heavy cream into a wide frying pan, place pan over medium heat and allow cream to boil rapidly until it is reduced by half or less (don’t worry, it will not curdle). Add any juices that have collected in the bottom of the casserole. Stir in the sherry, the fresh tarragon cut fine (use only fresh tarragon, as dried tarragon just doesn’t work; if you don’t have it, substitute fresh parsley), salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg. Mix well and pour over the chicken.

Garnish of Sautéed Mushrooms

It is important to cook mushrooms over high heat, as this seems to seal in their moisture and keep them plump and firm. If the heat is too low, they will stew and become wrinkled and rubbery.

• ½ pound mushrooms of equal size

• 3 tablespoons butter

• ¼ lemon

• Finely chopped parsley

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat a small skillet, add the butter, and as the peak of the foaming stage begins to subside, add the mushrooms in a single layer. Sauté the mushrooms over high heat, shaking the pan back and forth as they cook, which will take about 4 to 5 minutes.

2. When the mushrooms are done, squeeze the lemon juice over them, add the salt, freshly ground pepper, and a sprinkling of parsley.