Homemade Hunter Chicken

As we may be facing another lockdown, I thought I would share another easy homemade dinner. 

My version of Cactus Club's Hunter Chicken. 

The key component of this dish is the Mushroom Sauté.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 lb. mixed fresh mushrooms (I use 6 oz. shiitakes,  8 oz. cremini and 2 oz. white mushrooms).

Clean them with a damp paper towels, washed, trimmed, and sliced 1/4 inch thick, to yield 5-1/2 to 6 cups

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 Tbs. heavy cream, broth, or lemon juice (optional)

Additional chopped herbs, such as thyme, sage, and/or chives (optional) 

Directions:

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter foams.
2. Add all the mushrooms and minced garlic and stir.
3. The mushrooms will quickly absorb the oil and butter. 
4. Sprinkle with the salt and gently stir with a wooden spoon until the mushrooms start to release their moisture and begin to shrink, 2 to 3 minutes. 
5. Turn the heat to medium high so that you hear a steady sizzle; stir gently. 
6. After 5 minutes or so, when the mushrooms start to brown, give just an occasional stir with the spoon (about once a minute) and allow the mushrooms to brown evenly, maybe for another 3 minutes. 
7. Turn off the heat and toss the mushrooms with the parsley and pepper to taste, adding more salt if needed. 
8. Stir in some cream just to wet the mushrooms again.
9. Add other herbs if you like.

For the other parts of the dish, simply pan fry the chicken breast on a non-stick pan for a few minutes, and then place into a 350 degree oven to finish cooking.

Cactus Club serves this with mashed potatoes and some steamed asparagus as well. I suggest elevating your mashed potatoes by adding a few tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese and some green onions.

Let me know if you try this or if you have suggestions on how to make this better!