Dinner in Paris

Do you ever feel like chicken breasts are boring? I do! But, they are so healthy and cook so quickly. This recipe is my secret weapon for making them fancy enough for company, and delicious enough for lazy me to make them for myself even when I start cooking at 8:00 p.m.

The recipe was in Gourmet Magazine's Paris special last year, and I can't urge you enough to try it!

Roasted Chicken with Dijon Sauce

1 package chicken breasts (3-4)
1 TBS vegetable oil
2 small shallots thinly sliced (I go heavy on the shallots)
3/4 c. dry white wine (California Chardonnay)
3/4 c. reduced sodium chicken broth (sometimes I leave this out if I don't have it in the house)
1/4 c. heavy cream (whipping cream works too)
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 TBS finely chopped chives (you can substitute parsely too)

1. Preheat oven to 450 with rack in the middle.
2. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 12" cast iron (or other oven safe) skillet over medium high heat. Brown the chicken in batches (if chicken has skin, brown skin side down first) for about 2.5 minutes per side.
3. Return all chicken to skillet and put in oven until cooked through - 15 to 20 minutes. If you cook more chicken, let it cook longer than if there are fewer pieces.
4. When the chicken is done, remove it from the skillet to a platter. Add the wine and shallots and broth to the skillet and boil for 2 minutes, or until reduced by half.
5. Add cream and boil until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
6. Strain sauce through a sieve - I always skip this step!
7. Whisk in mustard and chives. Return chicken to skillet and toss with sauce. Enjoy!