From the Foodinista Files

Isn't that a great term? I picked it up at The Splendid Table.

Foodinista (n)

1. A person with a passion for eating.

2. Lynne Rossetto Kasper describes foodinistas as "the kind of people who start plotting dinner while eating breakfast."

Perfect, eh?

Anyway, here's the latest from the kitchen of this Foodinista:

Chicken Crepes with Mushroom Sauce

Filling:

• Seasoned chopped chicken
• Sauteed onions

Crepes

• Homemade or purchase (It's about time-saving for me!)

Sauce:

• Golden mushroom condensed soup
• Sour cream
• Fat-free milk
• Chopped mushrooms (freshly sauteed or from a jar if you're in a pinch)

How to make the magic happen:

You can either go the somewhat lazy route and buy already cooked and chopped chicken. Or you could somewhat redeem yourself by using leftover chicken (from a rotisserie bird, home roasted or the like).

Or you can prepare seasoned chicken breasts from scratch and still have this meal on the table in under an hour, including 20 minutes for you to enjoy a glass of wine while things bubble in the oven.

It's your choice - who am I to judge? I prepared my own chicken breasts (thus the reason I was getting chicken out to thaw at 11 pm). Here's how I did it -

Make sure your chicken breasts have completely thawed (overnight in the fridge should do it). Rinse and pat dry. And need I say that you should pat dry using paper towels, then Clorox spray your countertops? {Full confession: I have issues with raw meat.}


Place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet. For crepes, the chicken doesn't need to be heavily seasoned. I simply put a small amount olive oil on both sides and sprinkled with fresh black pepper and Beau Monde seasoning.

Bake in a 450F oven for 7 minutes. Flip then cook for 7 additional minutes. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then chop.

While your chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce.

I wish I could give you quantities, but this is really a matter of touch and personal taste. Start by putting the soup base in a bowl. Add sour cream (I put in about 1/4 c.). Add milk to thin the mixture (I added about 1/3 c.). Then add the secret ingredient...soy sauce! Yes, soy sauce. Or, if you prefer, red wine.

Soy sauce/red wine adds a layer to the overall flavor of the sauce, without actually changing the flavor significantly. Think of it this way: it deepens the taste. Without it, you have a nice mushroom/creamy soup-sauce. With it, you have a deeply intense mushroom sauce. It makes a difference!! I actually used Japanese soy sauce - it's a little darker, a little more flavorful - and put in probably about 2 T.

After you've finished playing and making your sauce, it's time to assemble the crepes. Get your ingredients together...this really is a speedy process.

Evenly divide the filling ingredients between the number of crepes you have. I used 2 chicken breasts and 1 medium sized onion, which filled 6 crepes. This served 3 hungry adults with leftovers for 2 lunches.

Place the filled crepes in a greased baking dish (be careful - crepes are delicate and will tear easily!). Cover with mushroom sauce and bake in 350F oven for 20 minutes until sauce is hot and bubbly.

Plate along with freshly steamed veggies and enjoy!

Doesn't that look yummy? Trust the members of the Hayley Household...it was!

If you want to learn more about great ways to prepare simple, flavorful chicken from scratch, the ladies at Our Best Bites have a great tutorial that you should check out.