Gourmet food made Easy

After some serious cooking over the weekend I decided that Monday is going to be one easy day for me. So I did not bother much about lunch and made do with some leftovers from last night. But by evening I started getting restless and once again landed up in the kitchen. Most of you would find this crazy but the kind of solace i find in the kitchen i find nowhere else. I raided the fridge and found some lovely chicken breasts lying around.I don't like making any gravy dish with chicken breast as they tend to get very hard and chewy as u cook them. So last night i decided to go the conti (nental) way!! And what turned out what something truly gourmet in taste and presentation. I made " Pan fried chicken breast in a white wine sauce" with some creamed potatoes and grilled tomatoes by the side.

Ingredients :

For Pan fried Chicken:

Chicken breast - 2 pieces

Salt - to taste

Crushed pepper - to taste

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

White wine - half cup

Butter - 2 tbsp

Whipped cream - 1 tbsp

For Grilled Tomatoes :

Tomatoes - 2 large

Dried  oregano - 1 tsp

Olive oil - 1tsp

For Creamed Potatoes :

Boiled potatoes - 2 large

Milk - half cup

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Grated cheddar cheese - 1 cube

Butter - 1 tsp

Olive oil - 1 tsp

Parsley - for garnish

Method:

Lets first start with the creamed potatoes.

Mash the boiled potatoes so that there are no lumps. I usually grate the boiled potatoes for a smooth finish.

Heat butter and olive oil in a pan , add the mashed potatoes , add the milk and mix well so that it gets a creamy texture. U could adjust the quantity of milk accordingly.

Toss in the grated cheese , salt( keep a note that cheese is salty too ) and pepper . Mix well and keep aside.

Now lets get to the chicken.

Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Make slits all over and marinate with salt , pepper and olive oil. Let it rest for half an hour.

Heat up a pan till its smoking hot, put in the chicken breasts ( i did not use any more oil as the marinade had olive oil already ). Fry on each sides for 5-7 mins each. You could also toss in the tomatoes along side the chicken like i did or grill them separately in the oven.

Once the chicken starts getting a light brown colour, take them off the pan and keep aside. Same with the tomatoes.

Now in the same pan , put in the white wine. Once it starts simmering, add the butter , some crushed pepper and finish with the cream. This is your sauce.

Take a plate . Put a few spoonfuls of the creamed potato sprinkled with parsley on the side. Arrange the chicken pieces, pour the sauce on top. Serve hot along with the grilled tomatoes.

I served this with some fresh home made buns ( more on that later ) and needless to say made the husband super duper happy!!