Recipe Adaptation: Chicken with Mushroom Sauce (Bride and Groom: First and Forever)

When we were married in October of 2010, a sweet soul who clearly knew our love for cooking and eating gave us the Bride & Groom: First and Forever cookbook, by Mary Corpening Barber and Sarah Corpening Whiteford. It's a great resource, especially with the easy-to-use meal plans for holidays in the back (Ever wondered what to make for birthdays, anniversaries, or the 4th of July? This is the cookbook for you).

(Buy it here)

As we flipped through the pages, I found a recipe including chicken, prosciutto, fontina, and mushrooms. It seemed like a bit of work and a lot of ingredients, but I was really in the mood for a creamy mushroom sauce. So I did what I typically do - cut out all the parts of the recipe I didn't want, made do with the ingredients we had on hand, and we ended up with a delicious sauce we use at least once a week.


Ingredients (Edited to only include mushroom sauce):
1 8 oz package mushrooms (baby Portabellas are best)
1 medium-to-large shallot
1-2 tbsp minced garlic
Olive oil, cooking spray, or butter
2 tsp whole wheat flour
1/2 c. white wine
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 c. chicken broth


Preparation: 
Chop the mushrooms and shallots into sizable pieces.
Saute mushrooms, shallots, and garlic in butter until shallots are translucent and mushrooms are soft. Season if desired - garlic and onion powder, as well as cracked sea salt, add to the final taste.
Add 2 tsp whole wheat flour; this should make a bit of a paste, so heat for about 1-2 minutes.
Add 1/2 c. white wine and saute until the alcohol is burnt off and the liquid is mostly reduced.
Add heavy cream and chicken broth; simmer over medium heat until desired consistency, about 5 minutes. Do NOT boil the heavy cream or it will turn.
Serve with pan-seared chicken and brown rice or steamed broccoli. 


Successes:
- This is one of our most used recipes. It is so versatile - we can eat it on anything from broccoli to brown rice to red potatoes and it never fails to be delicious.
- This made me love mushrooms. Before I was meh about them - could probably live without ever eating a baby Portabella again. Now, just a quick glance through my blog shows how integral they are to our weekly eating rotation. TBird is just thrilled :). This sauce packs so much flavor in a rich, creamy, come-back-for-seconds way (which we never have) that it's impossible not to develop a passion for mushrooms.
- Despite that this is a cream sauce, I consider this relatively healthy meal, especially when eaten with a balanced brown rice/broccoli combo. Compared to other options like alfredos or Elizabeth sauce, I think this offers a lower-fat, lower-guilt version that still hits the mark on creamy goodness.
- There could be some room for creativity here - Use red wine instead of white and this would probably be great on a steak (yes, I'll be testing that this week!).  
- Reheatability is actually OK - the shallots might get a little rubbery, but overall the sauce stays flavorful and the mushrooms keep a good texture. Serving over brown rice for lunch is the best option.

Failures:
- None. I'm mildly obsessed with this one, and everyone who's tried it has felt the same. If you like mushrooms, cream sauces, and pure garlicky goodness, this is the recipe for you.

BullsBistro Rating: A+ 
PS - Ok, most of my recipes will probably be rated highly. I hate to steer y'all wrong with recipes that are untasty or just wildly unhealthy, so this may be just a formality, but it's also a guarantee - this food is good, y'all!