20 minute dinner ideas: chicken with creamy mushroom sauce

last night was supposed to be a pretty relaxed one where i would get home, change into comfy clothes, and take my time in making a nice dinner. well, it didn't work out that way- - -by the time i got home i had very little time left for cooking, hungry faces looking at me, and a few defrosted chicken breasts in the fridge. it was time for one of those go-to 20 minute one pot (or skillet) recipes-chicken breast with creamy sauce- i (almost) always have the basic ingredients necessary: lemons, dijon mustard, whole wheat flour, chicken broth (or dry white wine), and fresh herbs (most often flat leaf parsley). luckily we had mushrooms and cream available as well-this was going to be a good dinner, after all. the main trick to making it a quick-cooking meal is to thinly slice the chicken breasts (horizontally). beyond that all you need is just enough energy to whip up this delicious dinner-if you have extra time on your hands, feel free to use it....slow down, take your time, enjoy....

for 4 servings:

• 3-4 organic chicken breasts, sliced horizontally into 3 thin pieces each
• 1/2 cup mushrooms (sliced)
• 1/2-1 (depending on how sour/lemony you prefer it) lemon, freshly squeezed
• 1-2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1 tbs whole wheat flour (or thickening flour of choice)
• 2 tbs cream
• sea salt & freshly ground pepper (to taste)

continued>>

1. heat 1 tbs olive oil in a heavy skillet and sautee mushrooms with salt and pepper on high until golden brown, then remove from skillet and set aside.

2. add another tbs of olive oil to skillet and fry (brown) chicken breasts on both sides with sea salt and pepper.

3. when the chicken is browned add mixture of lemon juice and dijon mustard as well as 1/2 of the wine (or broth) along with the mushrooms (over the top), lightly cover the skillet, and allow the chicken to cook for about 10-15 minutes (medium heat).

4. add the cooked mushrooms over the top of the chicken-at this point there should be little liquid left in the skillet-dilute the flour in the remaining half of the liquid (wine/broth), add to it the cream, and pour over the chicken and mushrooms while lightly shaking the skillet to distribute evenly. allow sauce to thicken (while carefully stirring everything around a bit with a wooden spatula). taste and adjust for salt & pepper. sprinkle with parsley. done!