Monday, February 19, 2018

Quick Chicken Stroganoff




































Years ago when I didn't cook much for company, my go-to recipe was beef Stroganoff. I had a beat up James Beard cookbook and that recipe always seemed special enough to serve to guests, not that my dinner parties were very sophisticated.

Out of curiosity, I looked up Stroganoff. Actually I was wondering if making it with chicken could still be called a Stroganoff. The dish is named after Count Stroganoff, a wealthy Russian diplomat in the 19th century and  is described as having meat and sour cream. So I guess this can be called chicken Stroganoff. For those who are into slang, "going stroganoff" means riding a bicycle with a lot of strength. The Urban Dictionary uses this example, "You went all stroganoff on the last leg of that race, man." Who knew? Seems appropriate, though, with the Olympics in progress.

I bought Portobello mushrooms on a whim and had lovely chicken tenders, so I thought I'd give it a try. I debated cooking everything (except the noodles) in the same pan. In the end, I decided to cook the chicken separately, and I was so glad that I did. Chicken tenders cook fairly fast. If you monitor them closely and get them out of the pan when they hit 170, they're some of the softest meat around. But if they cook too long, they turn out dry and tough. Cooking them separately also gave them the opportunity to rest before I sliced them and added them to the Stroganoff at the last minute. The sauce is warm enough to heat them, but doesn't dry them out.

Note that I chopped the onion roughly, which worked well. They don't get lost in the mixture.

This is such a quick recipe that I'll be tempted to make it on those days when dinner is running late.

Chicken Stroganoff
makes enough for three modest servings or two hearty servings

3-4 ounces egg noodles
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
1/2 pound chicken tenders
1 teaspoon paprika (divided)
1 Portobello mushroom
about 1 cup broth
2 tablespoons of flour
salt
pepper
1/2 cup sour cream + extra for garnish

Cook the egg noodles according to the directions. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a deep pan. Chop the onion and add it to the pan at medium low heat. Stir occasionally.

Just under medium heat, add the olive oil (or butter) to another pan. Roll the oil around the bottom of the pan and add the chicken tenders. Sprinkle them with 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and place a lid on them. When they turn white on one side, flip them to the other. Cook only until the thickest parts reach 170.

Meanwhile, cut the mushroom into 1/2 inch chunks. When the onions are translucent, add the mushroom and 3/4 of a teaspoon of paprika. If the chicken is done, remove it from the pan and let it rest. Splash a little water into the chicken pan and deglaze it. Pour that into a 1 cup measuring cup and fill the rest of the way with chicken broth. Pour over the onion and mushroom mixture. Add the 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken the sauce. Cook over low heat. If it's too thick add a splash of water or broth.

Slice the chicken.

When the egg noodles are ready, pour them into a colander and give them a quick splash of olive oil. Toss them to coat. Add the chicken and sour cream to the mushroom mixture and stir. Place noodles on a plate and top with the Stroganoff. Place a dollop of sour cream on each serving as a garnish if desired.

Cook onions.

Add mushrooms.

The sauce!

Dinner is ready!



2 comments:

  1. Sounds delicious...I will definitely try Chicken Stroganoff.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks and sounds delicious.
    I like that the sour cream is an accent, not an overwhelming ingredient.

    ReplyDelete