Yummy Wednesday - Chicken with Morel Mushrooms

Last spring, the hubby started finding morel mushrooms at work...  he brought them home by the buckets!  So we had to quickly find recipes to use them in.  We did them sauted in butter, wrapped in bacon, and breaded...  But these.  Now these are yummy mushrooms!  This is by far my favorite way to eat morels! 

Chicken with Morels 

From "Barefoot in Paris" by Ina Garten

Serves 6.

You need:
1 ounce dried morels, soaked for 30 minutes in 3 cups very hot water (or about 10oz to a pound of fresh)
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup chopped shallots (I use about half that - it's a very strong flavor!)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup Madeira wine (or dry sherry works, too!)
1 cup (8 oz) creme fraiche (you can get this at Trader Joe's)
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice

To make:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lift morels carefully from the hot water in order to leave any grit behind in the liquid.  Rinse a few times to be sure all the grittiness is gone.  Discard the liquid and dry the morels lightly with paper towels.  Set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Dredge them in flour and shake off the excess.  Heat half of the butter in a large saute pan and cook the chicken in 2 batches over medium-low heat until browned on both sides, 8-10 minutes.  Remove to an ovenproof casserole.

Add the rest of the melted butter to the pan along with the shallots, drained morels, and garlic.  Saute over medium heat for 2 minutes, tossing and stirring constantly.  Pour the Madeira into the pan and reduce the liquid by half over high heat, 2 to 4 minutes.  Add the creme fraiche, cream, lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp pepper.  Boil until mixture starts to thicken, 5-10 minutes.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 12 minutes, or until chicken is heated through.

We like to serve it with thick, crusty bread - perfect for sopping up the extra sauce.  Yum!  Enjoy!


Things I am thankful for today:

1.  Homemade muffins.
2.  Exercising.
3.  Waking up to the sound of rain on the window and a cool breeze.
4.  Lunch with Norma - she's always full of good stories!
5.  A quiet afternoon.
6.  Dinner with the confirmation boys and their dads at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Very fun.
7.  Talking with my sister about my upcoming trip to Alaska - I'm so excited!
8.  Sharing a Belgian beer with the hubby before bed.
9.  "America's Got Talent" - it does show some really cool talent!
10.  Looking back through pictures from the past two months...  So many fun moments!