Chicken with Lemon Mushroom Sauce and Campaigning for Your Vote

Let me first get a favor out of the way because I am selfish like that. ;) Remember those savory crepes with mushroom and goat cheese filling I made? I would really appreciate if you voted for them on the Ile de France site (and by voting, I mean rating them highly at the bottom of this page right here). If I win first (which doesn't look terribly promising right now, but as with voting of any type, I remain cautiously optimistic), I will be giving away a gift card on my blog, so there could be something in it for you, too! I think there is something a little...strange...going on with the voting right now but you didn't hear it from me. Someone may have to demand a recount!

Now that I've finished campaigning for your vote, let me share with you one of our staple meals. This meal was probably the second or third entry ever in this blog, but I had no picture (and, well, no readers) so I thought I would share it again. This is pretty much a chicken piccata, but without capers and with mushrooms. OK, so it's not really piccata but it's close enough.

I used to really dislike capers, which is why I started making this dish sans capers. I have to say that, now, I actually like capers but I never really think to buy them and this dish is pretty standard in our household so it's been left untouched. Tom and I like mushrooms. A lot. So we use a half pound for just the two of us. Normal people would probably use that for 4 chicken breasts. We are not normal and would probably be even happier using an entire pound.

To add a little oomph to my orzo, I stirred in some pesto (again, from the freezer. I cannot emphasize the greatness of freezing pesto in cubes enough), which was a great complement to the lemony chicken.

chicken and lemon mushroom sauce (2)

Chicken with Lemon Mushroom Sauce
Serves 2

2 Tbsp. flour
small sprig of thyme, chopped, or about 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 chicken breast halves
1/2 Tbsp.  butter
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. sliced cremini mushrooms
1 small shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup  lemon juice (about one lemon)
1/4 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper

Season the flour with the thyme and salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Heat a heavy  bottomed skillet over medium heat and add the butter and oil. Add the chicken and cook through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside and keep warm.

To the pan, add the mushrooms and shallot and saute until the shallot is transparent. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30-60 seconds.

Add the wine to the pan, and as it's reducing, start scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the lemon juice and chicken broth and reduce the mixture by about half.

Nutritional information (for a 4.5 oz chicken breast half): Calories: 270 / Fat: 8.2g / Saturated fat: 2.7g / Carbs: 11.8g / Fiber: 1g / Protein: 32.5

chicken and lemon mushroom sauce