Ok I will be the first to admit that my humble dinner doesn't look like anything too special. And maybe it isn't. But man was it delicious. A piece of pan grilled chicken has the potential to be pretty boring (I eat a LOT of chicken. So trust me, I know how boring it can be). To be fair, there is nothing special about my main protein, it is the sauce that makes it exciting.
I almost always start my chicken dishes by pan grilling my chicken breast with salt and pepper and just a touch of olive oil. Keeping the heat on your pan low will let the chicken brown nicely while cooking it through...if only it were that easy. I am infamous for screwing up chicken. Only recently have I really mastered not burning the outside every time. But this post is not about the basics of cooking chicken (that one will come soon), it is about taking 30 minutes (or less) to make something delish for dinner.
So you pop your chicken in the pan and let it hang. Make sure you turn it over somewhere in the middle. In the mean time grab a handful of mushrooms (whatever you like/is on sale. I like baby bellas), pull the stems out and slice them up. Then grab a small shallot and give that a mince. Once your chicken is all done, pull it out of the pan and toss in a pat of butter. Yes, butter. I know, it is bad for you. But it is just so good. And a little fat wont kill you. Once the butter melts toss in your mushrooms and shallots and let them hang out, stirring them a few times, until they are browned and delicious looking. Put your chicken back in the pan. Now it is sauce time.
Not only is it sauce time, it is time for a shortcut. Salad dressing. Tarragon vinaigrette to be specific. I get mine at a CNY area grocery store called Wegmans and it is a fantastic place. But any vinaigrette will work, just pick your favorite flavor. Just drizzle about a servings worth over the mushrooms and chicken and let it heat up for about a minute. Make sure you turn the chicken to let the dressing kind of form a glaze. Then toss it on a plate and you are done!
You will have some extra time while everything is cooking away, so its the perfect time to make a side dish. I went with a white bean salad that I stole the idea for from a co-worker this afternoon. Drain and rinse a can of cannellini beans and mix that with thinly sliced red onion and some chopped cilantro. Dress with just a splash of oil, some red wine vinegar, a good squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Toss together and let sit while the rest of your meal finishes to let the beans absorb all the flavors. A quick and easy side with leftovers for later! If you want a twist, toss it all in a food processor with a little extra oil and you have a hummus like spread for snacking!
**You may have noticed that I don't give exact measurements or temperatures. This is because I really don't know what they are. I cook by feel and tasting as I go, so I never really use the same measurement twice and I never really have measurements to go by. It's all about experimenting and learning by doing! I will give you as much guidance as I can but it's up to you to make each recipe your own!
