Oh man, last week was a total wash.  First I was sick, then Denny was sick, then Miles was.  Tobin floated through the whole thing pretty easily (though he may have had a mild version the previous week).  Regardless, I did zero actual cooking.  I think we scrounged on leftovers or cereal or had takeout every single night.

This week, I’m armed with new resolve.  I saw this recipe on America’s Test Kitchen a while back, and then I caught it again in a rerun, and good ol’ Becky Hayes finally convinced me.

The verdict?  The sauce was really good.  It was a little dryer than I expected, which I actually liked since I don’t like things too gloopy.  I might add more liquid in the future, though, or maybe watch it more carefully so it doesn’t reduce as much.  The chicken came out a little dry, but I think my stove is hotter than the test kitchen’s stoves.  I need to remember that their medium-high is really my medium.  It would be good on beef, I think, or pork chops, or even in a pasta if you’re into that.

Also note:  I halved the recipe, since one pound of chicken is plenty for us.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps wiped clean and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon (I subbed parsley because there wasn’t any fresh tarragon at the store yesterday)

Instructions

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat butter and oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high medium heat. When foaming subsides, place chicken in skillet and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until browned on second side, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.

2. Add mushrooms, onion, and wine to now-empty skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add broth and bring mixture to boil, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Add chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low low, cover, and simmer until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in breasts and 175 degrees when inserted in thighs, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Transfer chicken to clean platter and tent loosely with foil. Whisk sour cream and egg yolk together in medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly stir ½ cup sauce into sour cream mixture. Stirring constantly, slowly pour sour cream mixture into simmering sauce. Stir in nutmeg, lemon juice, and tarragon; return to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Tobin had his 12-month doctor visit this morning.  He did a good job, but Miles was worried about him.  After we picked Miles up from school today…

A:  Miles, do you remember what Tobin did this morning?

M:  He got three shots at his disappointment!