Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

1. Chicken – select large chicken breasts, so that each side of breast is enough for two servings.

Breast is best because once sliced in half they make two flat steaks which cook through quickly and evenly with a nice crust. Thigh works too but either butterfly the thick end to make it more even in thickness, or pound out.

2. White wineadds more depth of flavour to the sauce and is used for deglazing the pan (ie. dissolving the tasty golden bits left in the skillet from browning the chicken into the sauce = free flavour!)

I use sauvignon blanc or pinot gris (because they’re my drinking wines!). Anything that’s not overly fruity and sweet (like some rieslings) or too woody (like some heavily oaked chardonnays) will be fine.

3. Cream – full-fat thickened cream / heavy cream will yield the best results. For a lower fat alternative, use evaporated milk (preferred) or low-fat cream.

4. Parmesan – you need to grate your own from a block to ensure that it melts into the creamy sauce. Store-bought, pre-grated in any form (sandy, or fine batons) just doesn’t melt properly in sauces. Sorry!

When measuring, remember that freshly grated is aerated so the volume will look far greater than the weight, so you need to pack the cup down lightly (ie. 50g / 2oz freshly grated parmesan = over 1 cup in naked volume, but 1/2 cup lightly packed).

5. Sides for serving:

Creamy Mashed Potato rates highly on my list (and here’s the low carb version – Creamy Mashed Cauliflower) Pasta, polenta, mashed beans or plain rice (brown, white, jasmine, basmati – find them all here) Crusty bread or soft dinner rolls for mopping

6. Storage – store chicken in the sauce (it helps keep it moist) for up to 3 days in the fridge, then reheat gently using microwave (take care not to overcook the chicken).

7. Nutrition per serving, assuming all sauce is consumed.