Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Balsamic Vinegar

This is a recipe that I got from my sister, Anna, a few years ago. It is a lovely way to prepare chicken breasts, and we are all thankful to Anna for having shared this recipe with us.

Anna and I have lived on different continents for so many years – but thanks to the advent of computers, internet, e-mail, skype, etc., we have been able to keep in almost daily contact. This makes it possible for us to easily share our lives with each other, including the exchange of cooking tips, recipes, etc.  Often when I am unable to decide what to prepare for a holiday meal, I write or call Anna, and she happily comes to the rescue with some ideas. Thanks, Anna!

Enjoy the chicken.

Ingredients:

• 4 full chicken breasts, without bones and without skin. Cut the breasts in half, so you end up with 8 pieces.
• 3/4 pound (approximately 300-350 grams) sliced mushrooms – you can use either fresh champignon mushrooms or canned sliced mushrooms.
• 3-4  Tablespoons flour
• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4-6 cloves garlic sliced
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup of chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon minced thyme
• salt
• pepper

Preparation:

1. Place flour on flat plate. Add salt and black pepper, and mix into the flour.
2. Dip pieces of chicken breast in the flour, coating both sides of chicken.
3. Heat olive oil in heavy non-stick frying pan. When oil is warm, add the flour-coated chicken fillets. Fry on one side.
4. Turn over the chicken and fry on the other side till golden brown.
5. While chicken is cooking on the second side, add the sliced garlic cloves, and the sliced mushrooms. Keep cooking till both sides of chicken fillets are a nice golden brown.
6. Add balsamic vinegar, chicken broth, bay leaf and thyme.
7. Cover pan tightly and cook for about 8-10 minutes on medium-low heat.
8. Discard the bay leaf.
9. Serve the chicken breasts with the sauce, including mushrooms and garlic, spooned over the chicken.

TIP:

1. I often make this dish a few hours in advance, so that the chicken absorbs all the flavor of the sauce.
2. Sometimes I make a “variation on the theme” and add a splash of soy sauce, or whole small shallots.