Why did the chicken cross the road?

...cause there wasn't "mush-room" on his side of the road.

Yes, I just made that up. And yes, you can expect to see it on a laffy taffy wrapper soon.

Ok, it was pretty bad. I just couldn't help share it with you all. Speaking of bad jokes did any one watch the roast to Donald Trump last night on Comedy Central? I felt pretty bad for The Situation...not even one laugh from the crowd.

Back to the point of this post. Lucky for you I am not here to share jokes. I am here to share my new favorite recipe...

drum roll please...


Chicken With a Mushroom Cream Sauce

I am always looking for new ways to spice up chicken. While browsing the thousands of recipes online I found the winner!

This recipe is the bomb . For starters, it only has 275 calories per serving!!! Secondly, it tastes delicious. If you are a fan of mushrooms you will love this recipe. And even if you are not, I challenge you to think of mushrooms the same way after you try this.



Ok...here's what you will need for 2 servings:

• 2 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts *see tip
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 medium shallot, minced
  
• 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
• 2 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine
  
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or scallion greens

Side notes: I used white cooking wine because that is what I had, and it worked great. I actually had to google "shallot" and "scallion greens" because I had no idea what they were. Sad and sad. FYI, a shallot can be found by the onions. It's a variety of onion. I used scallion greens AKA green onions instead of chives. Now please tell me you didn't know those what those things were either so I don't feel like an idiot.

Now to prepare:

1. Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.

2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes ( Since I don't have an instant read thermometer I just cut in the thickest part a little bit to make sure it's not pink). Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

3. Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant (and boy are they fragrant!), about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions AKA green onions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

By now your house should smell so divine you will have neighbors knocking on your door asking to join you for dinner...

4. I served this with white rice because they sauce isn't quite creamy enough for pasta, in my opinion. Dig in and enjoy!

*Tip from recipe:
If you have a hard time finding a chicken breast that is 4 oz buy a 5 oz breast and by removing the thin strip of meat from the underside of a 5-ounce breast—the “tender”— you remove about 1 ounce of meat and yield a perfect 4-ounce portion.

No I didn't take this picture. Courtesy of eatingwell.com. Honestly, I think what I made looked even yummier than the picture. I was just too impatient to take my own!