Monday, March 13, 2017

Taken In by Another Social Media Cooking Video

I saw a recipe making the rounds on Facebook called Creamy Sundried Tomato Parmesan Chicken that looked good, so I tried it tonight. And it was delish! Of course, I changed a few things in the recipe, as is my way. I used bone-in thighs (skin removed), because that's what I had on hand. And as they were thicker cuts, I had to brown them in a skillet, then finish cooking them in the oven. I also used a bag of "Heavenly" cocktail tomatoes from Trader Joe's that I needed to use or lose and then just half the amount of sun dried called for in the original recipe. And I used light cream for the sauce and no corn starch. I did use the optional dried Italian herbs, but I omitted the fresh basil--though that would have been lovely if I had any and/or the will to go to the store during the latest arctic blast.


Creamy Sundried Tomato Parmesan Chicken
(Source: Adapted from Cafe Delites)

For the chicken:

2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally to make 4 fillets (I used bone-in thighs, skin removed)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt (I used a spicy soul seasoning blend)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons reserved sun dried tomato oil (or olive oil)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
7 oz jarred sundried tomato strips in oil, drained (reserve 2 tablespoons of oil for cooking)
8 oz sliced mushrooms
11/2 cups milk (or half-and-half or light cream)
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of milk**
1/3 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (do not include for dairy free option)
2 teaspoons Italian herbs (optional for added flavour)
2 tablespoons fresh shredded basil, to serve
  1. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour mixture; shake off excess and set aside.
  2. Heat one tablespoon of the reserved oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Fry the chicken until golden on each side, cooked through and no longer pink (about 5-6 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of your chicken). Transfer onto a warm plate. (I transferred them to a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes until the thighs were cooked through.)
  3. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet; sauté the garlic until fragrant (about one minute). Add the sundried tomatoes and mushrooms; fry until the mushrooms are just soft. (I chopped up a bag of cocktail tomatoes and threw them in as well.)
  4. Reduce heat to low-medium heat, add the milk (or cream if using) and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste and add the milk/cornstarch mixture to the centre of the pan. Continue to simmer while quickly stirring the mixture through until the sauce thickens. (Only use cornstarch if using milk for your sauce.)
  5. Add in the parmesan cheese; allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce. Add the chicken back into the pan; sprinkle with the fresh basil and a little extra pepper (optional), and serve over pasta, rice or steamed vegetables.



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