A little twist to the standards…

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take olive oil and garlic to prepare any dish, any day. I’ll never complain of it’s aroma or flavor. But sometimes I’m in the mood for a twist.

I thought of this recipe after getting sick of regular hamburger - I now drench the red ground meat in Worcestershire sauce to kick up its flavor (and I leave the pepper out when I do that).

With some defrosted chicken needing to be cooked, and a dozen portabella caps already washed and dried, I decided to get creative, with no real plan in mind. The result was a smooth, yet somewhat tangy dish, and I’m sure to make it for future guests.

INGREDIENTS: (serves 2)
2 medium-sized boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 - 3 large portabella caps
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 large shallots
3 cloves garlic
2-3 splashes Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash & dry mushroom caps, set aside (in darkness).
2. Cube chicken into bite-sized pieces.
3. Cut one clove of garlic into eights.
4. Set a stainless steel pan over medium heat; add 1 tablespoon olive oil, a dash of kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper, and cut garlic clove.
5. Saute garlic until it starts to change color. REMOVE garlic from pan (burned garlic will ruin nearly any dish).
6. Add chicken to pan.
7. While chicken cooks, in a medium-sized bowl, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, kosher salt and pepper.
8. Slice shallots finely, leaving them as rings.
9. Cut mushrooms into 1/2 bite-sized cubes (they should be smaller than the chicken cubes), and add to olive oil mixture. Shake well and allow to sit until needed.
10. When chicken is nearly done, add shallots.
11. When shallots start to soften, add mushrooms and stir about with the chicken and shallots.
12. When mushrooms are softened, add Worcestershire sauce, then fold all ingredients together until mushrooms are tender.
13. Optional: Add sesame seeds, stir.
14. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Some key points… Go easy on the Worcestershire sauce - really, a few splashes is all you need. BUT, be sure to put it in after the mushrooms start to soften. They’ll better absorb the flavor without leaving it all in the bottom of the pan. Also, do add it near the end, as stated. This will help keep the chicken at it’s intended flavor (garlic) and texture.

When storing leftovers, dump any liquid left at the bottom of the pan. It will leave tomorrow’s lunch too soggy.

Posted Sunday, July 8th, 2007 at 7:57 pm EST
Read more in Recipes

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