Chicken with Creamy Chive Sauce

   Chicken is my favorite meat so we eat it once a week.  It's easy to cook, I like the texture, and it absorbs just about any flavor it's cooked in.  Unfortunately, I've been running out of ideas for my chicken.  I've made countless enchiladas, burritos, Asian chicken cuisine, chicken Parmesans, and chicken soup.  I was dying for something different and it came to me in the form of creamy chive sauce.

    I rarely use chives to cook and I've been avoiding creamy sauces because of the fat content.  Fortunately for me, this was a light creamy sauce and it was different from almost any other sauce I've made.  The base of the sauce is a common white wine, garlic, and chicken broth.  It then gets jazzed up with shallots, sour cream, Dijon mustard, and chives.

    I added a light sprinkle of lemon which added a brightness to the creamy, tangy sauce.  The sauce is delightful and can be used on any type of poultry.  It tasted delicious, was fairly light, and the creaminess made me think I was getting away with something.

Chicken in Creamy Chive Sauce (adapted from Gourmet: Day to Day)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1/4 c. flour
3 t. olive oil, divided
2 large shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c. white wine
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

1/3 c. light sour cream

1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. chopped chives
4 lemon wedges

1.  Put the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap and pound until they are 1/2 inch thick.  Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper then dredge in the flour.

2.  Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  Remove chicken from the pan and put on a plate.  Keep warm.

3.  Heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil in the same skillet.  Add the shallots and garlic cooking for 1-2 minutes, scraping the bottom to get the brown bits.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of flour and stir to coat.

4.  Add the wine and broth to the skillet and bring to a boil.  Return the chicken to the pan and reduce to a simmer.

5.  Cook until the chicken is heated through, about 7 minutes.  Stir in the sour cream, mustard, and chopped chives.   Flip the chicken to coat in the sauce.

6.  Serve the chicken with a spoonful of the sauce, a whole chive, and a lemon wedge to squirt on the chicken.

This post linked to:

What's Cooking Wednesday, Cast Party Wednesday, Midweek Fiesta