Chicken with Wild Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce

By mdyess

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• Salt
• 1/2 pound orzo pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. 6 ounces
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 12 cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 12 shiitake mushrooms. stems removed and sliced
• 12 white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, a couple turns of the pan
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful

Preparation

Step 1

Directions
Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add orzo pasta. Cook to al dente.
Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns
of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the
chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil
to keep warm.
Return the skillet to the heat, turn heat back a bit, and add the butter. Once the butter melts
add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the
mushrooms are brown season with sait and pepper then add the gariic, thyme and shallots,
Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour
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into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream.
Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice the chicken
on an angle. Add the parsley and the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about 1 minute.
To serve, pile orzo on dinner plates and top with the sliced chicken and sauce.