One Pot Wonder

I've been off the hook a lot lately with hosting big Shabbos meals. There was definitely a time when my roommates and I hosted meals at least twice a month....and when I say "meals," I mean the 28-person variety with days worth of prep and hours of clean-up (which, for anyone who knows me, has always been my forte :-P). We've taken a break, though, and now when we do meals, they're generally much smaller and they are fewer and farther in between. So, I get to really experiment with fun new recipes or come up with new ideas - or even splurge a little more on my guests than I could when we were spending so much money all the time.

I was watching an episode of 30-Minute Meals with Rachael Ray this week and she was making a shallot pasta, where she made a sauce out of caramelized shallots and poured it over whole wheat pasta. It looked so good, and I decided to adapt a similar recipe to chicken for Shabbos. It ended up coming out great! All in all, it only took 1 hour to make when I got home from work on Friday (in addition to the couple minutes I spent pounding out the chicken the day before so it would be ready to go when I came home) and, I have to say, it's delicious. (I may or may not have purposely made a couple of the pieces very small so I could sample a little before my company arrived!) I can't lie, it was a slight hassle having to peel and slice an entire pound of shallots, but I love how sweet and tender they become, so it was worth it. My father bought me a bottle of white wine that I hadn't opened yet, and I figured this would be a great opportunity to use some of it and finish the rest at dinner. (An open bottle of white wine will go bad in a couple days....that was my excuse :-P) This was also a fairly inexpensive dish to make, since I had the wine at home already. I needed to buy chicken and shallots, but almost everything else I needed is something I can almost always find in my pantry or refrigerator. I think I'll definitely add this one to the file of "successful" dishes! (Believe me....MANY do not make the cut!)

Shallot and White Wine Smothered Chicken
2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1/4 cup canola oil, divided
1 cup white wine, divided
1 lb. shallots, sliced thin
1/2 tbsp. minced garlic (out of a jar is fine!)
1 cup chicken broth (mine was out of a can)
1/3 cup pareve creamer or soy milk
1 tbsp. margarine
salt and pepper

1. Pound each chicken breast out between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (or inside a 1-gallon zip-top bag) until 1/4 inch thin, using a mallot or a rolling pin. Cut each pounded chicken breast in half. (Note: This step can be done the day before.)
2. Heat 1/3 of the oil in a large heavy-bottom pan on medium heat.
3. Dredge each chicken piece in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. The flour coating should be very thin. Place the chicken in the pan and shallow-fry about 3 minutes each side, or until lightly browned. (Note: because the chicken is so thin, it will fully cook this quickly.) Remove chicken from pan and place in a single layer in a large serving dish. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked, adding another 1/3 of the oil halfway through.
4. Pour 1/2 cup of white wine in the pan and, using either a wooden or plastic spoon, scrap up all the bits and pieces from the bottom of the pan. (Note: This is called de-glazing the pan). (Note: Many people recommend that you not use "cooking wine" since the taste isn't as good as the real thing. I almost always have cooking wine in my pantry and very rarely have an open bottle of good wine laying around, so use whatever is around. I promise it will still be yummy!)
5. Increase the heat to medium-high. After 2 minutes, when most of the white wine has evaporated, lower the heat to medium-low and add the remaining 1/3 of the oil. Add the shallots and garlic and toss to coat. Cook them low and slow, about 10 minutes, until golden and super soft. (Note: cooking garlic too high will make it go bitter on you...and there's no saving it after that!)
6. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of wine and, again, de-glaze the pan, increasing the heat again to medium-high. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes.
7. Add the chicken broth and reduce the liquid again by about half, about 8-10 minutes.
8. Stir in the pareve creamer or soy milk and margarine. If you like a thicker sauce, continue reducing until desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Pour sauce over chicken and serve. (Note: This dish can be made a few hours in advance, but I wouldn't recommend refrigerating and reheating this dish. If you are preparing this in advance, leave it out on the counter and place in a 250 degree oven to reheat.)