Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms

Guest Post by Catalina of Daydream Into Reality. Thank you Catalina! 

I am so happy to be sharing this delicious Creamy Chicken with Mushrooms with you today! Let me tell you that this homemade recipe is one of my favorite meals in this world.

Trust me, once you make it, you will be so amazed by all the flavors, that it is going to feel like a party inside your mouth!

Yes, a party!

Now you tell that to your kids and they will eat it all up!

Easy Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms

First, I want to tell you that this recipe was given to me by my dad. I was quite impressed, since my dad doesn’t cook that often. However, this recipe became a “favorite” in my house back in Colombia.

Of course, I wasn’t going to give it up when I moved to the United States. And – as any good cook-in-process, I decided to learn how to make it – now you will learn too, because not sharing this recipe should be considered a culinary crime!

Yummy Yummy!

Are you ready? I sure am, let’s go ahead and get started!

Ingredients:

• 3 Chicken Breasts seasoned with salt and pepper, cut in bite sizes.
• 1 Big Tomato
• ½ Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Small onion
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Tsp of Chicken Base, better than bullion
• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 Tsp. of Lime Juice
• 16 Oz of Sliced Mushrooms
• 1 -2 Cups of Heavy Cream
• 1 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
• ¼ Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Blend together tomato, red bell pepper, onion, 1 of the garlic cloves and chicken base.

Set aside.

A little learning note: This mix is called Aliños in Colombia. We use it in almost every single recipe! The combination of these vegetables plus the chicken base is out of this world! You can also use it marinate meats, add to your soups, beans, etc.

Step 2: Season Chicken with salt and pepper and Cook it.

You can cook it in any way you would like to. For this occasion, I decided to grill it, but sometimes I boil it as well. So, whatever works for you is okay. Just make sure you don’t overcook it. In fact, you can under cook it a little bit because it will finish cooking in the sauce and a little bit extra in the oven.

Step 3: Preheat your pan, on medium to high heat

Step 4: Add Olive oil, mushrooms and 2 Cloves of garlic finely chopped.

Step 5: Sauté mushrooms till they start releasing water and turn brown.

At this moment, add the lime juice and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. (I know what is coming through your mind right now, “Lime? For real? No way!” I must tell you something! Yes way! The lime adds such a unique flavor that you will be questioning why you hadn’t use it before! So, add it!)

Step 6: Add the blended veggies and cook them completely

Don’t you wish there was some sort of technology that allowed you to smell photos of food? I for sure would pay for it, wouldn’t you? My point is that I wish you could smell this right now. Just look at those beautiful mushrooms I could eat them just like that. Don’t do it! Fine, just sneak like two pieces; no one will know 😉

Step 7: Add heavy cream

On this step, depending on how thick or runny you want your sauce, you are going to add 1 to 2 cups of cream – I used about 1 and ½ cups – then incorporate with the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes.

If you are wondering whether you should substitute heavy cream for something less heavy, for your piece of mind, yes, you can. In fact, I have used 1 cup of half and half and a half a cup of whole milk before when I didn’t have on hand heavy cream.

Step 8: Once the sauce is nicely incorporated, add your chicken and let it marinate for about 3 minutes (more if your chicken was under cooked in the previous step). Then top with Parmesan cheese (if you are not using a pan that can go in the oven, transfer chicken to one that can, and then top with Parmesan cheese and bake it to cook the rest of the way).

Turn on your broiler on high and brown that cheese! Sprinkle with some red pepper flakes for a little heat!

Yummy!… I hope you like this recipe. It’s so good. You can serve it with noodles, pasta, rice, bread, salad or any other side you’d like. I had bread on hand and dipped it in the sauce.

Catalina is known for cooking and coming up with new recipes is her favorite thing in the world. She loves food. She is originally from Colombia and has moved to the United States in 2013 where she met her dear husband. She quit her job as a preschool teacher to work full-time on her blog, Daydream Into Reality. One of her biggest dreams is to write books for children and one day, she will do it!