Lundi: Recipes

Chicken is one of those “feel good foods”. I mean, unless you’re a vegetarian. From simple chicken soup to elegant Chicken Florentine, it’s all good as far as I’m concerned. Also, chickens are economical to keep in even the poorest circumstances so that’s good too.

Today then, as a little Valentine’s Day treat, Leon E. Soniat, Jr’s recipe for chicken and sour cream. Since butter, shallots, sour cream and cayenne pepper are reputedly aphrodisiac in the hoodoo lexicon, it seems a perfect choice:

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 1 fryer cut up
1 cup finely chopped shallots
½ lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 8 oz carton of sour cream
½ cup dry white wine
1 stick of butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1 cup chicken stock (or water)
Salt and pepper to taste

Salt and pepper the chicken and brown them in oil and butter in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Remove the chicken and add the shallots and mushrooms. Sauté five minutes over low heat. Add the sour cream, stock, cayenne, salt, pepper and chicken. Cover and simmer slowly until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Add the wine and stir well. Cook another five minutes or allow to simmer with the lid on until dinner time. Serve over rice.

Jour de Valentines heureux ~

Header: Medieval manuscript illustration “cooking at an open hearth”