It seems that we’re going to be in a heavy rainfall warning for the next 7 months. I am not sure why summer came so late and left us fast but I guess I will embrace fall with comfort foods. Bring on the soups, stews and things that will make you want to curl up on the couch in a blanket.

In celebration of all things fall I made a mushroom stuffed chicken breast that brought me a little closer to that blanket. Who am I kidding; I’m under a blanket even in the summer.

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 6 ounces cremini mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
  • 4 ounces goat cheese, softened
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

For the Sauce:

  • 1 1/2 cups dried shiitake mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

 

Prepare the chicken: Lay the chicken breasts on a piece of plastic wrap; place another piece on top and pound with a mallet or rolling pin until each breast is about 1/2 inch thick. Set aside.

Stem the cremini mushrooms and put the caps and stems in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Melt the butter in a medium-size sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Coat each chicken breast with 1-2 tablespoons goat cheese and top with 1/4 of the mushrooms. Roll up each breast burrito-style: Begin from the bottom, roll into the middle. Tie each roll with 3 pieces of kitchen twine or securing with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven on parchment lined baking sheet for 15 to 20 min, until no longer pink.

Make the sauce: Place the shiitakes in a mixing bowl and add 2 cups boiling water. Allow the mushrooms to soak for 15 to 20 minutes, until the liquid gives off a rich, earthy fragrance. Strain, reserving the liquid. Thinly slice the mushrooms and put aside. In a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, bring the mushroom liquid to a strong boil and reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and stock and reduce by half again, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sliced shiitakes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, swirling the pan until it’s incorporated and the sauce is glossy. Season with salt and pepper.

When chicken is cooked, top with mushroom sauce.

 

 

When I made this I used fresh shiitake mushrooms so I wasn’t able to soak and create a mushroom broth. Instead I just added chicken stock to be reduced and coloured with a bit of soy sauce (a bit). My sauce was more like really flavourful mushrooms and not so much of a sauce but that was fine by me. This chicken was yummy and wasn’t really all that much work.