Pan Seared Chicken with Mushroom White Wine Sauce

Chicken was preordained today, the only question was how to cook it.  I now french (pound flat) all my chicken breasts in a plastic bag then put the seasoning in the bag.  The breasts cook quickly and evenly and every bite has seasoning on it. So frenching isn't a fancy extra, it improves the dish in every way and saves a lot of work on the stove. I find the heavy gauge plastic bags in the produce department work best for two breasts at a time.  I pound them to double in size with the smooth skin side of the breast down.

Chicken Spice

1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp flour
fresh ground mixed pepper

Normally I'd add salt too but I'm putting bacon in the sauce and I'm cooking the breast in the salty bacon fat so it should have enough.  The carrots and broccoli are done in the steamer and finished in butter and extra virgin olive oil.  This time I kept the broccoli crunchy and it stayed warm longer on the plate. The rice was white basmati with oil, salt, paprika and poultry seasoning done in half chicken stock half water. That gave it a grey look so next time I'll put the poultry seasoning in the Chicken Spice. Tasted good though.

I cooked two strips of bacon in the frying pan and put the crispy bacon on a piece of paper towel.  I put butter in the sauce pot with a little oil so it didn't burn.  I seared the mushrooms in that for the sauce then took them out.  I put a teaspoon of flour in the pan and enough oil to make a paste. Back on the heat till it was bubbly nicely then took it off the heat. I let it cool while I put the chicken in the frying pan the bacon had been in.  Then I put an ounce of chicken stock in the sauce pan and whisked it smooth.  Then I put 1/2 cup white wine in and let it boil down.  I added more when it got a bit thick. When the sauce was a nice consistency I put the mushrooms and crumbled bacon in and started plating.

It was quite delicious and the sauce has no cream in it so lactose intolerant will enjoy it. Fern doesn't like creamy sauces so I have to be creative.