Pen & Pantry: Chicken in Sherry Cream Sauce

Let me start by saying that it’s not like it isn’t enjoyable to have the kids home for days (and days and days) during Christmas break ... because it is. 

They have new toys, new clothes, gift cards to blow … they’re excited you’re around and not in the office. It’s a nice time to sit back and watch them soak up a little family time. 

However, after a few days of screeching and chasing and tattling, I turn to the kitchen — a place to work out all the antsy, anxious feelings. A place for me to dump all my extra energy and excitement into a pot, or a pan or a skillet. 

Rather than look up a recipe, I tend to wing it. I put my playlist on, open my fridge and see what’s looking back at me. 

And, one recent Sunday night, there it was: A bottle of sherry wine — the one thing that everyone knows you only need for one recipe and then never again. 

This time I settled on a sauce that I put together with sherry wine and its better half, heavy whipping cream. It was fantastic over pan-seared, thinly sliced chicken breasts, dredged in my dad’s favorite fish-frying weapon: Drake's Crispy Frymix. 

The outcome was crispy chicken on the outside, tender on the inside and a delicious creamy sauce over the whole thing. 

Enjoy. 

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise (or four thin cut chicken breasts)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Drake's or flour for dredging
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you have four thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with the garlic powder, season them generously with salt and pepper on both sides, then coat each piece in flour.
2. Add the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the pan heat up for a few minutes.
3. Sear the chicken for about 4-5 minutes per side or until golden. Transfer to a plate.
4. To the skillet, add the remaining butter, onions and Italian seasoning. Cook for about 5-6 minutes or until the water has been released and then cooked off.
5. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute.
6. Add in the sherry and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the sauce bubble for until the liquid is reduced by half (about 2-3 min).
7. Stir in the cream, then add the chicken back to the pan. Let it cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced/thickened a bit. Season with extra salt and pepper if needed.

— Heather VanDyke covers northern Ottawa County for the Ottawa News Network. Contact her at hvandyke@ottawanewsnetwork.org.