Big Little Recipes
Winner Winner Cream of Mushroom Chicken Dinner
So good, you’ll want to eat it straight from the skillet. And honestly, why not?
A Big Little Recipe has the smallest-possible ingredient list and big everything else: flavor, creativity, wow factor. That means five ingredients or fewer—not including water, salt, black pepper, and certain fats (like oil and butter), since we're guessing you have those covered. Inspired by the column, the Big Little Recipes cookbook is available now.
Since the 1930s, canned cream of mushroom soup has been a shortcut for all sorts of meals, from green bean casserole to beef stroganoff to shepherd’s pie. And while it’s hard to beat the convenience of a can—let’s be real, you can’t—this recipe comes awfully close.
The sauce needs only three ingredients. And yes, two of those are cream and mushrooms. And no, half-and-half or whole milk cannot be substituted. It is called cream of mushroom. This is what we came for.
Play around with the mushroom type if you’d like, but I’m convinced that baby bellas (aka cremini mushrooms) are the sweet spot. Their flavor digs deeper than white buttons, while their price point is less than half that of oysters.
Which comes in handy here because we are using a lot of mushrooms—a full pound. This might seem excessive coupled with a pound of chicken breast. And that’s the point. It yields a savory, earthy cream sauce that I would swim in if I could, taking a notoriously soft-spoken cut of meat and giving it a microphone.
There is a lot of fear mongering when it comes to mushrooms. But it is a weeknight, and we don’t have time for all that. So here’s what you’re not going to do:
You’re not going to painstakingly wipe each cap with a damp towel. You’re not going to carefully cut them into even pieces. You’re not going to trim or even remove the stems. You’re not going to cook them in batches.
Instead, you’re going to get into pajamas, turn on your favorite podcast, and rest assured that with enough cream and mushrooms, even a cardboard box would taste good, which means crispy chicken will taste great, greater, greatest.
But you’re probably wondering about that third ingredient for the sauce, right? I have a hunch that it’s in your fridge right now.
| 1 | pound baby bella (aka cremini) mushrooms |
| 4 | tablespoons unsalted butter, divided |
| 2 | (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 | cup heavy cream |
| 2 | tablespoons Dijon mustard, preferably grainy |
| 1/3 | cup finely chopped chives (or parsley or dill) |
| 1 | pound baby bella (aka cremini) mushrooms |
| 4 | tablespoons unsalted butter, divided |
| 2 | (about 1 pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper |
| 1 | cup heavy cream |
| 2 | tablespoons Dijon mustard, preferably grainy |
| 1/3 | cup finely chopped chives (or parsley or dill) |
Put down those long grocery lists. Inspired by the award-winning column, our Big Little Recipes cookbook is minimalism at its best: few ingredients, tons of flavor.
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Written by: Emma Laperruque
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24 Comments
And I have a question for Emma...where did you purchase that beautiful white marble Molcajete on your kitchen window sill? I didn't see it in the Food 52 shop section :( Thank you!
And as far as your voice goes - you sound - and look a little bit- like my niece who I adore. No problem here...
Don't let the trolls get you down.
A. You signed up for this site.
B. No one forced you to open the email.
C. You clicked on the recipe & video link.
D. You are a grown up who has free choice
E. You could have hit 'delete' at any time and ended your self imposed "suffering".
Please do us all a favor -the food52 owners/editors/contributors/ USERS - and now hit UNSUBSCRIBE if you know how to. BTW the recipe is delicious...and I added fresh thyme and white wine to the dish, a PERSONAL choice.
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