Chicken Stroghanoff

We had some random cool day this summer that had me craving comfort food. Normally, comfort food would equate to spending a lot of time preparing a dish but in this case, you can certainly have a comforting meal in less than 30 minutes (if that!). With some chicken and mushrooms on hand, I was glad to come across this recipe for Chicken Stroghanoff. Browned chicken breasts is dressed with a creamy mushroom sauce and served atop sour cream and chive mashed potatoes. Quick comfort food is possible!

Similar to beef stroghanoff, this chicken version is just as delicious and even faster to prepare. Both the chicken and sauce can be made in one skillet which makes clean up easy. I’ve seen versions for similar dishes made in a crockpot, which is a great way to enjoy when you don’t want to warm up your kitchen using the stovetop. To make in a crockpot, brown the chicken and place in the crockpot. Brown the shallots and cook the mushrooms in the same skillet and also place in the crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients except the sour cream to the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Just before serving, stir in the sour cream and allow to warm through.

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more if needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more if needed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup minced shallots
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup Marsala wine
1 (10.5-oz.) can condensed chicken broth, undiluted
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon, plus 6-8 sprigs for garnish
1/4 cup sour cream

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned on each side. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven to finish cooking.

Meanwhile, to the same skillet, add 2 teaspoons oil and heat up until hot. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until they’re a light golden color, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until slightly softened.

Turn heat to high and pour in Marsala, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock, stir, and boil until the liquid begins to thicken to a syrup consistency, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and whisk in the mustard and minced tarragon. Simmer for 3 minutes.

Turn off heat and whisk in sour cream, stirring until smooth. Turn heat to low, taste and salt/pepper more if necessary.

Remove chicken from oven and add  it to the pan. Serve on top of noodles, mashed potatoes or rice.