Love the recipe, but it's too much work

[Threadslayer]

Here is a recipe for chicken cutlets in porcini - vermouth sauce that I really like, but don't make it often because preparing the dried porcini mushrooms just seems like too much trouble. This is not the exact recipe I used but it is so similar as to not make a difference. I've made it twice. Once over egg noodles and once over sauteed spinach and it was fantastic both ways. Several times over the past couple of years I have been looking for something to do with chicken breasts we had on hand and thought of this, but quailed at the thought of all the prep. I'd like to issue a Kitchen Music chef's challenge to find a way to modify this recipe into a 10-15 minute exercise I could whip up over a beer after work. One thing I'm thinking about is replacing the dried 'shrooms with fresh Portobello or Shiitake - maybe sauteed and steeped in liquid? Any other thoughts or suggestions? Anyway, here it is:

SAUTÉED CHICKEN CUTLETS WITH PORCINI SAUCE

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Serves 3-4

1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup AP flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6-8 oz. each), halved horizontally and pounded 1/4″ thick
1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. thyme, minced
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Rinse the porcini in a large bowl of cold water, agitating them with hands to release dirt and sand. Allow sand to settle to bottom of bowl.  Pour chicken broth into microwave-safe 2 cup measuring cup, and then then lift porcini from water and transfer to measuring cup.  Submerge porcini beneath the surface of liquid. Microwave 1 minute, until broth is steaming. Let stand 10 minutes. Using tongs, gently lift porcini out of broth and transfer to cutting board, reserving broth. Chop porcini into ¾-inch pieces and transfer to medium bowl.  Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer lined with large coffee filter into bowl with chopped porcini.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in pie plate.  Dredge chicken in flour, shaking gently to remove excess.  Set chicken aside on plate and reserve a teaspoon of the flour.

Heat 1/2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Place 3 cutlets in skillet and cook without moving until browned, about 1-2 minutes. Flip cutlets and continue to cook until second sides are opaque,15 to 20 seconds.  Transfer to large plate.

Add remaining 1/2 Tbsp. oil to now-empty skillet and repeat to cook remaining cutlets. Tent plate loosely with foil.

Reduce heat to medium.  Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 30 seconds. Add reserved teaspoon flour and cook, whisking constantly, 30 seconds.  Increase heat to medium-high and whisk in vermouth, soaked porcini and their liquid, tomato paste, soy sauce, and sugar.  Simmer until reduced to 1 cup, 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer cutlets and any accumulated juices to skillet. Cover and simmer until cutlets are heated through, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and transfer cutlets to serving platter. Whisk butter, thyme, and lemon juice into sauce and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

[Dave Bryce]

Oh, man...that looks awesome.  I'll bet the vermouth and porcinis are killer together.

 

Must try...

 

dB

[Threadslayer]

Oh yeah. It's a marriage made in heaven. I had another (lazy) thought. I wonder if I could make up a big batch of the full recipe - rehydrating, straining, steeping etc., and freeze small batches of it for future use when I just want something quick and tasty. Anyone tried something like this? It seems that I never really know what is freeze-able and what isn't until I try it and learn the hard way.

[Dave Bryce]

In chicken broth?  Don’t see why not.  

 

dB

[Dannyalcatraz]

Mushrooms should be pretty freezable.  I definitely prep and freeze fresh ones; freezing ones you’ve cooked or partially prepped should be fine.

 

And to be honest, I often take a free Saturday and clean & prep veggies, freezing them for future use.  I’ve been bad about it recently- our freezer is full of meat- but when I’m doing it regularly, you’d see minced garlic, diced onions (green/yellow/red), celery cut a couple different ways, mushrooms, and sometimes peppers.  I can get pretty complex meals started in minutes when I’m on my game.

[Threadslayer]

Absolutely. When I was bringing lunch to work regularly I would slice and dice on Saturday or Sunday and I could build a brown bag meal in a snap. I'm not that disciplined these days.

[Dave Bryce]

On 8/10/2022 at 5:59 AM, Threadslayer said:

 I'm not that disciplined these days.

 

Glad to hear it's not just me... 😏

 

dB

[Threadslayer]

On 7/26/2022 at 8:49 AM, Threadslayer said:

Here is a recipe for chicken cutlets in porcini - vermouth sauce that I really like, but don't make it often because preparing the dried porcini mushrooms just seems like too much trouble.

Update: Well I've found a solution for my laziness. Have someone make it for me. Last night I came home from work and my girlfriend had made this dish for dinner. It was terrific as always and I didn't need to lift a finger. One interesting mod to report, she couldn't find where I had put the vermouth, so she substituted Marsala. It was superb. Maybe better than the original.

[Threadslayer]

Just for completeness, here is the recipe she used this time: It is from a Swedish website called agentlemansgarden.se in English.

It actually is quite a bit simpler than the one I originally posted here, but every bit as good.

 

Chicken with dried porcini mushrooms, vermouth and thyme.

After a recent rainy period, the nearby forest was full of fungi. Not being mushroom experts, we played safe and picked one of the few types that we’re certain about, and know that they’re delicious: porcini.

Once home, the mushrooms were sliced and dried for 7-8 hours in a food dehumidifier, and later provided the inspiration for this dish.

Ingredients

3-4 chicken breast filets, diced into large chunks
1 tbs butter/1 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup dried porcini mushrooms,
1 chicken stock cube
¾ cup dry vermouth
Good handful chopped fresh thyme
½ cup crème fraiche
Chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste

Method

Soak the mushrooms in a small bowl for approx. 30 minutes
Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan, add the chicken pieces and sauté until the chicken is slightly brown and almost cooked. Remove the chicken.
Add the onions and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté a further 2-3 minutes.
Add the vermouth, the porcini (chopped into smaller pieces, if desired), the soaking liquor and stock cube, and boil to reduce by half.
Return the chicken to the pan, together with the crème fraiche and thyme and simmer a further 5 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper (plus chili flakes if desired).

Serve with pasta .e.g. fettuccine, rice or bulgur.

 

[Threadslayer]

Hey Chase,

It's funny that you brought up the pico de gallo idea. I make that all the time and use it on everything. The only difference in my recipe is that I add cumin.

Here is my recipe that I posted here some time ago:

 

Posted March 24, 2022

I agree with the simpler is better philosophy for stuff like this. Why tamper with perfection?

Reminds me of the salsa fresca/salsa cruda/pico de gallo concoction I make about once a week.

I go to a nearby farmers market and pick up fresh jalapenos, tomatoes, white onion and cilantro then

Chop the onion, tomatoes and cilantro

Deseed and devein (to a certain degree) the jalapenos and mince

Add salt and fresh ground black pepper

Add a couple of shakes of cumin

Add a splash of fresh lime juice

Shove it in the refrigerator to chill

Use it on everything*

 

*Favorites include scrambled eggs, and on top of toasted baguette slices for a south of the border bruschetta.