Pan-Seared Chicken with Shallots and Mushrooms

I have no idea what induced me to get fancy with dinner tonight.  Maybe because I’m on my own for supper tonight, and I could experiment.  A few months ago, I had this great chicken with a pan gravy from a local restaurant, and I’ve had an itch to duplicate it.  This wasn’t it, but it was great anyway.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 shallot thinly sliced
• 4 oz. baby bella mushrooms
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 heaping tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup of whatever you put in your coffee (cream, half and half, milk)

Directions:

1. Melt the butter over medium heat.  Add olive oil and swirl until mixed.
2. Season both sides of the chicken with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Allow to cook until the first side is seared and golden brown.



3. After you flip the chicken, add the shallots and mushrooms to the pan.



4. Once the second side is seared golden brown, add the chicken broth and cover.  I”m not sure how long I cooked it.  Maybe 5 minutes or so?  Maybe 10.  The idea is to sort of poach it so that the chicken is cooked through.
5. Remove the top and allow the liquid to reduce.
6. Once the pan juices are pretty low (you’ll start to see brown bits on the bottom), remove the chicken and set aside to rest.
7. Whisk in the flour and allow to cook briefly.



8. Then hit the mixture with your 1/2 cup of whatever.  I used half and half.  Whisk and allow to bubble for a minute or two until thickened.
9. Serve over the chicken.

This was AWESOME!  I’ve never made this kind of pan gravy before, though I’ve seen it done a hundred times on the Food Network.  I served it with roasted zucchini and onions with Parmesan cheese.

Printable version.

This recipe on Key Ingredient.

This recipe on Foodbuzz.