Chicken with Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce

Recipe from Rachel Ray

Prep: 10 min  Cook: 20 min  Total: 30 min

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1/2 pound orzo pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 12 cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• 12 white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, 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, eyeball it
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, a couple turns of the pan
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful

Directions

1. Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add orzo pasta. Cook to al dente.
2. Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. 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 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and shallots. Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice the chicken on an angle. Add the parsley and the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about 1 minute.
4. To serve, pile orzo on dinner plates and top with the sliced chicken and sauce.

This was really good, great flavor. I might even add just a little extra balsamic vinegar next time. I didn't have shitake mushrooms so I only used 2 boxes of mushrooms, white and baby bellas.  For the pasta, I actually found whole wheat orzo pasta and was so excited. It was so good I couldn't even tell it was whole wheat once it was cooked!  I was trying to save a little money so used dried herbs that I already had as opposed to buying fresh. This is when I wished I grew my own herbs. Fresh would have made this so much better!

Matt suggested maybe trying it again adding asparagus and Parmesan cheese. We'll definitely be making this again because we both really liked it. In the words of Rachel Ray, Yum-O!