a happy accident

:)

k... this afternoon i went to the grocery store seeking one thing... something to have for dinner with some lovely frozen haricots verts that wen'l and i picked up at trader joe's. click on the title of this post to see if you have a trader joe's location near you. if you do, take a few minutes to browse their frozen foods section. you will not be disappointed.

anyhoo... this afternoon i went to vons. i needed to lay in some provisions and pick up a few cleaning items. i got some boneless skinless chicken breasts and some of the house brand rice pilaf. the makings of a lovely summertime dinner i figured, esp if i put a nice lemon juice soak on the chicken before cooking.

turned out i didn't have any lemons, so i had to use some other sort of acid in my marinade, and hence, the happy accident.

pollo alla julia

2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 T champagne vinegar
2 T olive oil
12 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed but not chopped
1 t salt
1/2 freshly ground black pepper
4 T olive oil
1 c dry white wine (i used some chardonnay i had left over from another recipe)
1 c chicken stock (i used the stuff in the big juice box-looking container... kitchen basics i think it's called)
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 T chopped flat leaf parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T butter
additional salt and pepper, to taste

2 hrs before cooking, combine champagne vinegar, 2 T olive oil, smashed garlic, salt and pepper in a gallon size ziptop bag. add chicken and massage thoroughly to coat. stash in chill chest till you're ready to cook.

preheat oven to 400 degrees. heat 3 T olive oil in a large, oven-safe saute pan over med-hi heat. sear chicken in batches till golden brown and delicious, about 3 min per side and remove to a plate. heat 1 T olive oil in another saute pan over med-hi heat. add mushrooms and shake to coat with oil. if the mushrooms look a little dry, add a bit more oil. saute till GB&D, and add parsley and garlic. remove from heat.

when all the chicken is seared, add it all back to the large pan you used and put in the oven for about 20 mins. when it's done in the oven, remove the pan and put it back on the stove. remove the chicken to a platter and add the wine. use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the lovely bits stuck to the pan, and reduce by 50%. add the chicken stock, stir and reduce again by 50%. add the butter, and allow to reduce slightly before adding the mushrooms, parsley and garlic. taste for salt and pepper.

spoon this lovely pan sauce over the now well-rested chicken breasts and enjoy!

p.s. - you've probably heard this before, but DO NOT cook with a wine you wouldn't enjoy drinking. lots of perfectly acceptable wines can be had for as little as $2 a bottle (snaps to 2 buck chuck).