Chicken with Balsamic Cream Sauce

I'm a big fan of pasta, carbs and Italian food. I also love anything creamy or cheesy, or both! My husband is not. He fought super hard and long to lose about 30 pounds and now sticks to a pretty strict diet. Anything High carb is out of the question. 


I can usually sneak in one meal a week that could be considered "dangerous". Although most of the time, I prefer to alter recipes to make them more Husband friendly. This is one of those recipes. It tastes delcious and it might be a stretch to call it healthy, but it is totally an improvement over more traditional chicken and pasta recipes with cream sauce.

I present to you,

Chicken with Balsamic "Cream" Sauce

*2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

*2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise so that you end up with 4 thin pieces of chicken

*Salt, black pepper, garlic powder

*2 tablespoons butter

*8 ounces mushrooms, stems removed, cleaned, and sliced (any kind will work fine)

*3 garlic cloves, minced

*1 small onion, finely chopped

*1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

*2 tablespoons all purpose flour

*1 1/2 cups chicken stock

*2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (do not substitute any other vinegar)

*1 tablespoon half and half

*Fresh, chopped parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.

Season chicken with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches a temp of about 165 degrees. (I usually cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to decrease the cooking time and portion size. 2 breasts can feed 4 people this way)

Remove the cooked chicken from the pan, and set aside.

To the pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter and reduce the heat to medium.

Add in onions and mushrooms and sauté until the onions are translucent and mushrooms are tender. Add in garlic and cook for about 2 minutes more.

Season onions and mushrooms with a bit more salt, pepper, and add in 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme.

Sprinkle the vegetables with 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and allow it to cook for a minute.

Slowly whisk in chicken stock, then balsamic vinegar. Whisk well.

Add in half and half, and raise the heat to medium-high. Simmer the sauce until it stars to thicken, then reduce the heat to low and add the chicken to the pan, and simmer for about 3 minutes longer.

You can serve this over rice or your choice of noodles. 

I served this with a simple salad and white rice. Hubby ate (and enjoyed) it. We had leftovers and he didnt complain one bit.

Give this a try and let me know how you like it. I will post pictures soon, or you can check out this blog to see the original recipe and her beautiful pictures!

Enjoy!

Mac