This is a big favorite at our house. I adapted it from a recipe someone gave me ages ago and I've continued to tweak it over the years. It is fairly quick to prepare, low in fat, high in protein and flavor. The original recipe called for marsala wine but given that we don't usually have that on hand, I found that basalmic vinegar works beautifully and gives it a very nice flavor. I love it with mushrooms but the kids aren't big mushroom fans and I often don't have mushrooms on hand so I usually leave them out.
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp minced bottled garlic (or about 5 crushed cloves of garlic)
4-5 large chicken breasts chopped into chunks
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
(or substitute the basil and oregano with 1tsp italian seasoning)
1/3 cup basalmic vinegar (or marsala wine)
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp corn starch
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms - white ones work fine, portobello is really tasty, pretty much any type of mushroom works (or two small cans of mushrooms)
1 package penne, fettuccini or farfalle pasta, cooked al-dente in well-salted water
about a cup of grated parmesean or mozzerella cheese (to be added as a topping as desired)
Instructions:
On medium-high heat, saute chicken, onions, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil and oregano together in a large skillet until chicken is no longer pink. Then stir in basalmic vinegar. Simmer for 3-4 minutes while you prepare the chicken broth. Add the chicken broth and allow that to simmer for a few minutes while you mix the corn starch with 1/4 cup cold water until it forms a paste. Mix the cornstarch paste into the chicken mixture in the pan and bring to a boil. After boiling one minute, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until thickened to a sauce.
Serve over pasta and top with cheese and some fresh ground pepper.
Serves 6-8.
