"As many chicken recipes as I write, as many as other chefs have piled up in books, people still ask, 'Do you have any new chicken recipes?' Those poor birds—they can't even fly! Clearly, it's all anyone wants to eat anymore," says Rachael. Try her recipe for Chicken in Mustard Sauce. This 30-minute recipe also includes two tasty variations that work off of the same "master recipe"!
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 4 (6-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves , chopped (from 4 sprigs)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
  • 3 tablespoons (super-heaping) good quality Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons (super-heaping) sour cream
    • Directions
    Season the chicken with the thyme, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the seasoned chicken breasts and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with the foil. Turn up the heat on the skillet to high and add the chicken stock and mustard, whisking to combine. Bring up to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 3 minutes.

    Whisk in the sour cream and continue to cook until slightly thickened, about 2 more minutes. Serve the sauce over the chicken and accompany with a simple salad and something to sop up the sauce, like couscous or bread.

    VARIATIONS:

    Chicken No. 14,753—Deviled Divan
    Add:
    • 2 10-ounce boxes frozen broccoli spears
    • A few pieces of lemon peel
    • 2 tsp. hot sauce
    • 2 cups shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese such as Emmentaler

    Cook the broccoli in boiling water in a shallow pan with the lemon peel. Cook to just heat through—you want the broccoli spears to retain their bright color. Drain well.

    Preheat the broiler.

    Prepare the chicken and sauce as directed in the master recipe, adding the hot sauce to the finished sauce (to "devil" it). Place the cooked chicken breasts and broccoli in a shallow casserole and top with the deviled sauce and the cheese. Broil until the cheese is brown and bubbly. Serve with crusty bread.

    Chicken No. 14,7547—Chicken Bustard (in Basil-Mustard Sauce)
    Add:
    • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
    • 2 rounded spoonfuls good quality prepared pesto sauce
    • 15 to 20 fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn

    Prepare the chicken and sauce as in the master recipe. Once you have turned the chicken in the pan and it is starting to cook on the second side, scoot the chicken over slightly and make a little room for the onions and garlic. Cook for 6 minutes, occasionally stirring the onions and garlic. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan, leaving the onions and garlic behind. Proceed with the sauce according to the master recipe.

    Add the pesto and chopped basil to the fully prepared sauce and remove from the heat. Serve the sauce over the chicken.

    From Rachael Ray's book Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats
    Published 01/01/2006

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