Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner...

I think I've said this before, but my Englishman and I both love to cook :-)
Mostly, the Englishman cooks dinners and I do baking, but I also like cooking dinners! So, when I get the chance, especially if I get home before him, I'll often either have something in mind to cook or quickly find a recipe according to what we have in the cupboard.
Today, I got home super early so was keen to cook something nice for tea! We've had some porcini mushrooms in the fridge for a week or two after buying them for a chicken and mushroom pie recipe, so I wanted to use them before I forgot all about them. We had chicken breasts in the fridge and normal mushrooms as well, so I wanted to try and find a recipe that would use these items but also utilised other things we had in the house (and avoid needing to go out and buy anything if possible!)
I ended up picking a simple recipe for Chicken with Porcini Mushrooms from www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes . I ended up using this as more of a base for the recipe and made the following changes:
* I added fresh mushrooms as well as the porcini mushrooms
* I didn't have any wine (the horror!) so used the liquid that the porcini mushrooms were soaked in instead.
* I didnt have any cream, so used evaporated milk - less fat and cheaper!
* Instead of a whole onion, I used half a small onion and a few baby leeks.
* I didnt have any tarragon so just went without.
* We served it with a small amount of pasta and lots of asparagus and carrots :)
Last time I used porcini mushrooms, the reconstituted liquid was used in the recipe and it just made sense not to waste it. Mind you, while we were cooking it, the Englishman commented that the liquid smelt like "a pet shop" - its pretty pungent! Once you add the cream/evaporated milk the smell and taste calms down though, and gives it another layer of flavour.
Another tip - before adding evaporated milk, always take the pan off the heat and let it cool slightly. If you add it while the pan is hot, it'll separate and will look pretty yuck!
Anyway, The Englishman got involved and cooked the chicken as I'm not keen on cooking whole chicken breasts, and I did the preparation and got the pasta and vegies cooking while setting the table (women can multitask!). Despite the Englishman's reservations, it turned out delicious! I wish I'd taken a photo but I guess that just means I'll have to cook it again...........