Chicken and Mushrooms in Balsamic Cream Sauce

Last week I bought some fresh rosemary to make Zach's favorite variation of the no-knead bread.  I didn't want the rest of the lovely herb to go to waste, so I quickly scoured my cookbooks for any rosemary recipes.  I also knew we had some chicken breasts in the freezer, so that was a requirement for the recipes too.  I found this one in my Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats.  After reading the title of the dish, I thought it would most likely have rosemary in it -- Nope!  It called for thyme, which I omitted and used rosemary instead since the rest of the recipe sounded delicious.  I also served it with couscous instead of orzo, since that's what I was in the mood for.  It turned out pretty good, and Zach agreed it was a "keeper."

Sorry the picture is not all that great, it's hard to get a nice picture when the meal ends up so "brown."  Plus, I was hungry!

Chicken and Mushrooms in a Balsamic Cream Sauce

adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces crimini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary (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 
3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, a generous handful
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

• Pre-heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add EVOO, about two turns of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 5-6 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 4-5 minutes. 
  
• Once the mushrooms are brown, season with salt and pepper; add the garlic, rosemary and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about two minutes or until the shallots are wilted. 
  
• Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook two minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about two minutes or until thickened.
  
• Slice the chicken on an angle. Add the parsley and the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about one minute.