This recipe is rich tasting, but is actually light and delicate. It makes a WONDERFUL dish for serving to company. Tastes like your worked on it ALL day.
CREAM BRAISED CHICKEN & VEGGIES
1/2 pound pearl onions**
1 small Vidalia onion, halved and sliced
2 large carrots, sliced on the diagonal
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
6 boneless chicken breasts
1 + 1 tablespoons butter
1 cup white wine
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon FRESH chopped parsley
1 tablespoon FRESH chopped thyme
3 tablespoons WONDRA flour
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/2 pound beech mushrooms***
- In a large dutch oven bring 3 cups of water to a boil.
- Add pearl onions and boil for 3 minutes.
- Drain and rinse in cold water.
- Peel and set aside.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the dutch oven.
- Add onions, carrots and celery. Saute’ until tender.
- Remove veggies and set aside.
- Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer. Brown on both sides. Remove chicken and keep warm.
- Add wine to pan and simmer until reduced by half.
- Stir in broth, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Return chicken to pan and simmer 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Remove chicken to platter and keep warm.
- Whisk together the milk and flour until smooth.
- Gradually whisk milk mixture into broth in pan and bring to a SLOW boil until thickened.
- Add veggies back into sauce, stirring to coat.
- In a separate skillet heat remaining butter until melted and sizzling.
- Add pearl onions and mushrooms, sautéing until tender.
- Add onions and mushrooms to the chicken platter.
- Spoon sauce over chicken and veggies.
NOTES:
**Pearl onions can be a real pain if you’re in a hurry so I will buy several bunches of the small bulb onions and just halve them.
***Beech mushrooms are a type of oyster mushroom that has a wonderfully nutty flavor when cooked that adds to any sauce. These mushrooms are a bit bitter when used raw, but they are ideal for soups and stews or stir fries.