Chicken with mushroom sauce

‍The science of eating well: exotic, healthy, quick and delicious recipes.

OK, I admit it. I like curries and I like French cooking. The great thing about both is that you can take a basic idea and experiment. Also, if you take a bit of care with the ingredients it’s easy to be healthy.

Even dishes which originally were laden with ingredients that we now know to be nutritional no-no’s can be modified without losing taste. For example, cutting out salt and sugar are easy. Sauces such as Thai sweet chili sauce can be easily made at home and allow you to avoid store-bought junk whose first ingredient is sugar. I will include a yummy recipe for this in an up-coming edition of TR.

Recipes which call for coconut oil or palm oil can be cooked with olive oil without losing taste—especially if you add a bit of desiccated coconut at the right time.

Several tribe members have asked me why I cook most of the TR recipes with chicken breast. I do it for a number of reasons. Firstly, of course, it’s the healthiest of meats. But more than that, in most of my recipes—as I point out—you can substitute the chicken for almost any protein. They can be made equally well with firm tofu for example, or fish. So, for “chicken” read “my favorite protein.”

Today’s recipe is, however, a chicken dish which might be difficult to do with tofu—though a firm fish is a possibility I haven’t yet experimented with. It’s a variation on a French theme, though it’s a bit more “Mediterranean” than pure French.

My parents toured France (mostly south of Paris) with the Guide Michelin as their bible. These were the days before “novelle cuisine” ruined French cooking and a star in the Guide really meant something. Since my folks didn’t speak French and I was fluent I was tasked with finding out what was in the various dishes we encountered.

My mother had a very sweet tooth—and a girth to match—but was on a perpetual diet. I on the other hand was the polar opposite—rich foods, especially deserts, were not my thing. She would insist that I order the sweet at the end of the meal, which she would eat surreptitious spoonful by surreptitious spoonful until the plate was bare. Obviously if it was “for me” then no calories passed to her.

Anyway, the origin of today’s dish is Perpignon which, in the 13th Century was the capital of the independent Kingdom of Majorca. The old town I remember as being delightful to explore—especially the ramparts of the palace of the kings of Majorca. From them you can see the Med in the distance and if you’re a 13-year-old boy you can imagine yourself as a knight waiting for the King’s enemies to come up from the coast to attack you. The castle saw many wars and the kingdom was caught in the middle of the wars between France, Spain and Aragon. It ceased to be independent in 1349 and the title of King of Majorca was formally dissolved in 1715—long before I was there, really.

On the evening of our visit we dined at a small one-star establishment in the old town. It only had five or six tables, which made every patron feel special. I had a notebook in which I scribbled down details of meals I really liked. It’s still in storage in New York. This dish got noted.

It’s simple, quick and is full of nutritious stuff. The mushroom sauce is something to keep coming back to because it can go with a wide variety of dishes—it’s really great with tofu.

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‍Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 700gms (1 ½ lb) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tblsp olive oil

For the mushroom sauce:

• 1 tblsp light olive oil-based spread
• ½ tblsp olive oil
• 340 gms (12 oz) fresh mushrooms, sliced
• ½ cup salt-reduced chicken-style broth
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• ½ tblsp minced garlic
• Black pepper

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‍Directions:

1. Heat oven to 50 degrees C (100 degrees F). Later you will need it to keep the chicken warm.
2. Cut chicken breasts in horizontal halves to make chicken cutlets. Combine the oregano, paprika, and coriander in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with the spice mixture.
3. In a large skillet heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add the chicken cutlets. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. This is the tricky part. Do not overcook the chicken. It should still be just a tad pink on the inside when transferring it into the oven.
4. Using the same skillet, add ½ tablespoon of olive oil (no more!). Add the olive oil spread and allow it to melt. Add the mushrooms, onions and garlic and sauté it all for 5 minutes or until the unions are translucent, stirring frequently.
5. Add the stock and bring it to a boil.
6. Add the chicken back to the pan, spoon some of the sauce on top, cook for 1 minute. That’s it!

‍Serves: 5

‍Energy: 1345 kJs (336 calories)