The secret to a good cream sauce is always the same: not too much cream or it can be overpowering, masking the more delicate flavors. Here it contains a bountiful amount of mushrooms and is served over chicken breasts.

Makes 2 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

2 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed (see Tip)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 tablespoons dry vermouth or dry white wine
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives or scallion greens

1. Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 275 calories; 15 g fat (5 g sat, 7 g mono); 84 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrate; 25 g protein; 1 g fiber; 373 mg sodium; 370 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Selenium (34% daily value).
0 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 2 fat

TIP: Tip: It’s difficult to find an individual chicken breast small enough for one portion. Removing the thin strip of meat from the underside of a 5-ounce breast—the “tender”—removes about 1 ounce of meat and yields a perfect 4-ounce portion. Wrap and freeze the tenders and when you have gathered enough, use them in a stir-fry or for oven-baked chicken fingers.

Very yummy, and easy. I used light cream and it worked just as well.

cbailey, Tampa Bay, FL

If it called for heavy or light cream. I enjoyed every taste of my dish... Thank You Fridaylynn

Fridaylynn, Capitol Heights, MD

This recipe is absolutely delicious and comes together quickly. I also used light cream instead of heavy cream, as it was what I had on hand. I served this with steamed carrots and mashed potatoes, and my family ate every last bite.

Danielle, Bradford, PA

Honestly, this may have been one of the best recipes I've ever made. Delicious. My husband and I like things saucy and I had 1 1/2 times the chicken so I doubled the sauce part of the recipe. It worked very well. This will be added to my person cookbook, certainly.

Sally, Los Angeles, CA

This recipe is wonderful. I didn't change a thing. Next time I think I may let the the shallots carmelize a bit more and add some crushed garlic. This was perfect for just the two of us (me and my husband)... I served with steamed green beans and roasted potatoes.

Angela, Westland, MI

Made this recipe today. but used nonfat sour cream. It was absolutely delicious.

Irene S, San Francisco, CA

This was an instant favorite. My visiting step-daughter took one bite and said, "I want this recipe!" This was my first time cooking with shallots and shiitake mushrooms - I'm a believer! I've even tripled the recipe and it is still good as leftovers.

Michele, Bishop, TX

I don't think I've encountered one bad recipe from E.W. until this one....not that it's bad, it was just flavorless. I did not deviate except for using turkey breast cutlets instead of breasts. However, that should not diminish the flavor.

Jacqueline, Buffalo, NY

I really enjoyed this dish. i added a little rosemary to the broth to give a subtle hint of flavor.

Joshua Thompson, Valparaiso, IN

I made this dish and, for my own convenience (to make sure it came out tender), I diced the chicken. The first time I made this, after dicing it up, I noticed that the "sauce" came out more like a juice and did not thicken at all. No one else has made this comment so I assume everyone else did leave the chicken whole. After the first attempt (which was still tasty), my variation was to dice up the chicken (I used a full pound), double the wet ingredients, and add a little extra salt and pepper (roughly doubling the recipe) directly to the sauce after the cream is added. At the VERY end, I brought the sauce to a simmer, mixed some cornstarch with water, and slowly added it and stirred it in until it thickened like a gravy. I like having it over rice, with some veggie on the side.

Heather, Chattanooga, TN

This came out great for me and my husband. We love it! I used the Thin Chicken Cutlets instead of the regular thick ones. I had about 5 cutlets. I also doubled up on the chicken broth and heavy cream and added about another tbls of the wine. Basically I tweaked it alittle and it came out great. I will be making it again soon. I think the Thin Cutlets help out a lot....the regular chicken breasts can be kind of dry and not soak up flavor in a quick dish. Oh yeah...dry chives work just as well.

Tashelle, Charlotte, NC

Fantastic.....pounded the chicken to cook faster and used half and half. Delicious and easy

Patti, Margate, FL

We really enjoyed this. Very simple to prepare for a weeknight meal. I paired it with roasted asparagus. We will definitely make this again.

Michele, Roaming Shores, OH