Chicken Chesapeake

Ok, so this is not healthy. At all. It’s probably best classified as a “heart attack on a plate.” But anyone who is with spouse knows, sometimes, bribery is a good thing. And I use my cooking to get my husband to do all sorts of things. In tonight’s case – I used it to get him to exercise. Seems oxymoronic, doesn’t it? It totally is! But I’m going with it because it’s Monday. Enjoy!

Chicken Chesapeake

Courtesy of Cooking with Paula Deen January/February 2011

8 oz lump crabmeat, picked free of shell

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 lbs), cut in half

1½ tsp salt, divided

1½ tsp ground black pepper, divided

½ cup butter, divided

1 (8-oz) package sliced baby bella mushrooms (I’d recommend slicing your own, but I have a hard time arguing with Paula)

½ cup minced green onion

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened

Hot cooked rice (Ok, I’m going to go ahead and argue with Paula here. Serve it over steamed broccoli to help cut through the caloric wasteland.)

Garnish: ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350˚. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle crabmeat evenly over baking dish.

Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, in batches if necessary, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from pan, and place over crab in baking dish.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and green onion; cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add wine, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until reduced by half. Stir in chicken broth and cream, and cook for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add cream cheese, stirring until melted. Add remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper. (I omitted the additional salt and pepper as I felt the sauce was seasoned well without it. I encourage you to always, always taste as you go while layering on spices.)

Pour mixture over chicken, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve over rice … ahem … broccoli!

Editor’s Note: I was completely and utterly distracted while cooking this and was therefore remiss in adding the cream cheese to the sauce before pouring it over the chicken and crab. My dutiful husband jumped to the rescue, removing the chicken from the sauced pan with tongs. He then proceeded to carefully scoop out all the gorgeous morsels of crab … and eat them. While this solved the problem of whisking in the cream cheese, and the meal was marvelous – I somehow feel it was missing an important component.

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