Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sage Sauce Recipe

You know what the best thing is about boneless, skinless chicken breasts? They cook up in about nothing flat. Great for midweek meals when you are just rushing to get something on the table. Chicken breasts also take to sauces well, including this cream-based sauce loaded with mushrooms. What are your favorite sauces for chicken breasts? Let us know in the comments.

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Sage Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 8-10 ounces mushrooms, cremini or shitake, thickly sliced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream (light cream may curdle, so use heavy cream)
• 3 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pieces pounded to an even 1/4 inch to 1/3 inch thickness
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Melt butter in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add shallots and sauté for one minute. Add mushrooms and parsley and sauté for 5-10 more minutes, until the mushrooms have browned. If you are using unsalted butter, sprinkle on a pinch of salt. Add vermouth and deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits that may be sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cream. Bring to a boil and cook the sauce down until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (about 10 minutes).

2 While the sauce is reducing, heat olive oil in another large sauté pan on medium high heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper over both sides of the chicken breast cutlets. Add cutlets to pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and cooked through.
3 Stir in sage to sauce, season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken to serve.
Serve alone (for low carb version) or with rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta (use gluten-free for gluten-free version). We used bow-tie pasta which worked great. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Serves 4.

Chicken Normandy Recipe

The Normandy region of France, which is North of Paris and lines the English channel, is known for its cream, butter, cheeses, apples, and apple brandy. In this version of Chicken Normandy, or chicken à la normande, we are braising whole chicken legs in apple cider and brandy, and serving them with a sauce made with cooked apples, onions, and cream. Just the thing for the fall. We're using whole chicken legs because the flavor is richer, and the dark meat holds up better to long braising. But you could just as easily use chicken breasts. You can also serve this classic combination of apples, brandy, and cream with other proteins, such as mussels (moules à la normande) or pork.

Chicken Normandy Recipe

In this recipe we brown the chicken on the stovetop, then braise the chicken in the oven, and then finish on the stovetop. You can make the whole dish on the stovetop if you wish. In step 6 just simmer the chicken on the stovetop (uncovered if skin-on, covered if using skinless chicken pieces), until cooked through and tender, 15-30 minutes. The reason to do it in the oven is to produce a crispy skin.

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 cooking apples (Fuji or Jonagold are perfect for this dish, do NOT use a red delicious), cored and sliced into wedges (you can peel or not)
• Flour for dredging
• 4 whole chicken legs (with thighs)
• Salt
• 1 large onion, peeled, sliced lengthwise (root to top) into wedges
• 1/2 cup brandy (apple brandy or Calvados if you have it)
• 2 cups apple cider (the cloudy type)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup cream

Method

1 Sprinkle salt over the chicken pieces and let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.

2 Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat 2 Tbsp of the butter in a large, oven-proof sauté pan over medium heat. Add the apple slices and sauté until they turn a little brown around the edges, turning occasionally. Sprinkle the apple slices with a little salt. Set aside on paper towels to drain.


3 Dredge the chicken in flour and place the pieces in the sauté pan, skin side down. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter. Fry until golden, about 3-5 minutes on medium to medium-high heat on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
4 Add the onions and increase the heat to medium-high. Spread the onion slices out in an even layer to cover the pan. As the onions cook they will release moisture that will help deglaze the pan of the browned bits from the chicken. Sauté the onions, stirring occasionally, until they just being to brown, about 5-8 minutes.

5 Add the brandy to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any remaining browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the brandy boil until it has reduced by about half. Add the cider and bring it to a boil.

6 Sprinkle in the thyme. Add just a pinch of salt to the cider. Arrange the chicken legs in the pan so the skin faces up and is not submerged by the cider-brandy mixture. Place in the oven and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.


7 Remove the pan from the oven. (Watch out for the hot handle! I like to run an ice cube over the handle as soon as I remove the pan, to help bring the handle temp down quickly and prevent a bad burn if I forget the handle is hot.) Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and set aside. Place the pan back on a stovetop burner on high heat. Add the apples and boil down the sauce by half.

8 When the sauce reduces to the point where it's a little syrupy, add the cream and turn down the heat. Taste for salt and add some if needed.
To serve, spoon some apples and onions on the plate, top with sauce and a piece of chicken.

Serves 4.

Chicken Salad Recipe

My mother and father make the best chicken salad. It's a joint effort; dad assembles all of the ingredients, mom makes the dressing. There are a few things that distinguish this chicken salad recipe from a standard version. First, we use plum preserves in the dressing. You can use any berry preserve, but as we have gallons of homemade plum preserves in the freezer waiting to be used, we use the plum. Second, the recipe includes green olives. Like capers, chopped green olives give the salad an interesting bite. Finally, we use chicken that has been roasted or broiled with the skin on, and we use the skin. This makes a huge difference in flavor.
Do you have a favorite chicken salad recipe? Please let us know about it in the comments.

Chicken Salad Recipe

Ingredients

3/4 lb (2-3 cups) of cooked chicken meat, skin on, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4-6 green olives, pitted and minced
1/4 cup of chopped red onion
1/2 to a whole apple, cored and chopped
1/3 head of iceberg head lettuce, sliced and chopped
5 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp plum preserves, or any sweet berry preserve (or a lesser amount of honey)
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1 Prepare all of the salad ingredients and combine them in a large bowl.
2 Prepare the dressing separately. Combine the mayonnaise, preserves, and lemon juice. Taste for proper balance. The dressing should not be too sweet nor too sour. Adjust the ingredients until you have achieved the balance you want. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3 Mix the dressing in with the salad ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serves four.

Breaded and Baked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe

What's there not to love about chicken drumsticks? They're dark meat (more flavor), relatively inexpensive (certainly compared to boneless skinless breasts), they cook up quickly (half an hour in the oven), you can save the leftover bones for making stock, they're kid-friendly (have you ever met a kid who didn't like drumsticks?), and they even come with built-in nifty handles (so you can eat like King Henry VIII).
There are many ways to do breaded and baked drumsticks (see list of recipes from other bloggers at the bottom of this recipe). This particular recipe uses a mayonnaise and mustard mixture as a first coating, then some breadcrumbs with chives for the breadcrumb coating. You could just as easily use a beaten egg for the first coat (you need something for the breadcrumbs to adhere to), and a mixture of breadcrumbs, panko, grated Parmesan, lemon zest, tarragon, or thyme for the bread crumb coating. You can also brown the drumsticks first on the stovetop and then transfer the pan to the oven (helps to use a cast iron pan if doing it this way).
Do you have a favorite way to prepare breaded drumsticks? A favorite breadcrumb coating combination? If so, please let us know about it in the comments.

Breaded and Baked Chicken Drumsticks Recipe

Recipe adapted from a Deviled Drumsticks recipe in Bon Appetit, March 2001.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup Dijon or whole grain mustard
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped chives or green onion greens
• Salt
• 6 large chicken drumsticks, about 1 1/3 lbs
• Olive oil

Method

1 Place rack on upper third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat the bottom of a shallow roasting pan or baking sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.
2 Mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Mix together the breadcrumbs and minced chives in a separate medium bowl.
3 Sprinkle each drumstick with salt. One by one, dip each drumstick in the mayonnaise mixture, turning to coat. Then dip the drumstick in the breadcrumbs mixture, turning to coat. Place the drumsticks on the prepared roasting pan.
4 Bake chicken for 20-25 minutes, until just cooked through, and juices run clear (not pink) when poked with a sharp knife.
Serves 4-6.

Beer Can chicken Recipe

Is it just me, or is beer can chicken a boy thing? Look, I grew up with four younger brothers, and if you told them you were going to insert a half-drunk beer into the butt of a chicken and grill it, I think they would actually get interested in cooking. Joking aside, this is a brilliant way to roast a chicken, on the grill or in the oven. Yes the chicken looks rather ridiculous on its beer can perch, covered with an herb rub and half-ready to salute you. But hear me out. While the chicken is dry roasting on the outside, the inside is being bathed with steamy beer, keeping the chicken meat wonderfully moist. The result is tender, falling-off-the-bone meat, encased in salty, herby, crispy skin. What follows is a basic method for beer can chicken (also known as beer butt chicken for obvious reasons). We're using just some olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme on the chicken, which we believe brings out the best in the chicken's flavor. You can easily experiment with your favorite spice rub, or even use wine or root beer instead of a standard beer.

Beer Can Chicken Recipe

You can also roast a chicken this way in the oven. Just place it as directed on an open half-filled can of beer, sitting up, in a roasting pan on the lower rack of your oven. Roast at 350°F until done (about an hour fifteen to an hour and a half for a 4 lb chicken). For an alcohol-free version of this recipe, just fill a pint mason jar halfway with chicken stock and use it instead of the beer. You can also use an open can of baked beans (remove the label) instead of the beer. The chicken juices will run into and flavor the baked beans, which you can then use as a side dish for the chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 4-pound whole chicken
• 2 Tbsp olive oil or other vegetable oil
• 1 opened, half-full can of beer, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp black pepper

Method

1 Prepare your grill for indirect heat. If you are using charcoal, put the coals on one side of the grill, leaving another side free of coals. If you are using a gas grill, fire up only half of the burners.
2 Remove neck and giblets from cavity of chicken, if the chicken came with them. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil. Mix the salt, pepper, and thyme in a little bowl, then sprinkle it all over the chicken.
3 Make sure the beer can is open, and only half-filled with beer (drink the other half!) If you want, you can put a sprig of thyme (or another herb like rosemary or sage) in the beer can. Lower the chicken on to the open can, so that the chicken is sitting upright, with the can in its cavity. Place the chicken on the cool side of the grill, using the legs and beer can as a tripod to support the chicken on the grill and keep it stable.
4 Cover the grill and walk away. Do not even check the chicken for at least an hour. After an hour, check the chicken and refresh the coals if needed (if you are using a charcoal grill). Keep checking the chicken every 15 minutes or so, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160°F - 165°F. The total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken, and the internal temperature of the grill. A 4 lb chicken will usually take around 1 1/2 hours. If you don't have a meat thermometer, a way to tell if the chicken is done is to poke it deeply with a knife (the thigh is a good place to do this), if the juices run clear, not pink, the chicken is done.
5 Carefully transfer the chicken to a tray or pan. I say "carefully" because the beer can, and the beer inside of it, is quite hot. One way to do this is to slide a metal spatula under the bottom of the beer can. Use tongs to hold the top of the chicken. Lift the chicken, beer can still inside, and move it to a tray. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. Carefully lift the chicken off of the can. If it gets stuck, lay the chicken on its side, and pull out the can with tongs.

Serves 4.

Apricot Chicken Recipe

Every year about this time we are inundated with fresh apricots from our neighbor's tree. And every year I tell myself I'm going to make a chicken dish with them, but never get around to it. Instead, we'll make apricot jam, apricot cobbler, apricot tart, or just eat them straight. Finally this year, we've experimented with apricot chicken and I'm quite please with the results. The additions of rosemary, Tabasco, and especially cinnamon really brighten up the flavors and make the dish more interesting than you would expect. We served it over rice, but it would be also pretty good with some egg noodles.

Apricot Chicken Recipe

If you don't have fresh apricots, you can use a combo of dried pitted apricots and apricot jam. Chop up about a dozen dried apricots and add them, with a half cup of apricot jam, to the stock in step 4 (skipping steps 1 and 5).

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds apricots, roughly chopped, pits removed and discarded
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces
• Salt
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (can sub olive oil)
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cups chicken stock or broth (use gluten-free stock if you are cooking gluten-free)
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Tabasco or other hot sauce (you can add more if you like)
• Black pepper

Method

1 Place the chopped apricots in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and the vinegar. Let sit while you brown the chicken in the next step.
2 In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place chicken pieces in the pan, without crowding the pan, and brown them on each side. As the chicken cooks, sprinkle salt over it. Once the chicken is browned, remove the pieces from the pan to a bowl and set aside.
3 Add the remaining oil to the pan and sauté the onion until it begins to brown. As the onion cooks and releases moisture, use a flat edged spatula or wooden spoon to scrape off the browned bits from the chicken (called fond) from the bottom of the pan.
4 Once the onions have browned a bit, add the chicken stock and lower the heat to medium.
5 Put about 2/3 of the apricots, along with any juice they have given up, into a blender and blend into a purée. Pour the purée into the pan with the chicken stock and onions.
6 Add the cinnamon, rosemary and Tabasco and taste. You may need to add some salt. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and gently simmer for 10-20 minutes.
7 When you are ready to serve, put the chicken and the remaining apricot pieces into the pan and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Serve hot with rice.

Serves 6.

Apple Chicken Quesadilla Recipe

I was charged with providing lunch for several kids (ages 4, 6, 7, and 9) a few days ago and prepared for them one of my favorite quickie lunches - chicken and apple quesadillas. The kids gobbled them up, and one of them, Teddy, exclaimed loudly after the first one, "Elise, you HAVE to put these on your website!" The others nodded in agreement, while busily chomping away. So for all you quesadilla-loving kids out there, here you go.

Apple Chicken Quesadilla Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 Flour tortillas (approximately 8-inches wide)
• 1 cup cooked, shredded or chopped, chicken meat
• 1/4 lb cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, sliced or grated
• 1 apple, sliced
• 1/4 cup salsa

Method

1 Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Place one tortilla in the skillet. Flip it a couple of times with a spatula, then let it sit in the pan heating up until air pockets form and parts of the tortilla begin to puff up. Flip it again.

2 Place cheese slices on half of the tortilla, at least 1/2-inch from the edge of the tortilla. Add chicken pieces on top of the cheese. Fold the tortilla over like an omelette, and press down on the folded tortilla with the spatula. Lower the heat to medium. At this point, if you have enough room in your skillet, you can add a second tortilla to the pan to begin to heat it up.

3 When the cheese inside the quesadilla has melted, remove the quesadilla to a cutting board. Open it wide and layer on apple slices and salsa. Fold the tortilla back again, and cut it into 3 triangles, as if you were cutting a pie. (You don't have to cut the quesadilla into triangles, it just makes it easier for kids to eat.)
4 Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Makes 12 quesadilla triangles.