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Sautéed Chicken with Pesto-Mushroom Cream Sauce

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on November 8, 2011

Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Sautéed Chicken with Pesto-Mushroom Cream Sauce

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)Salt and pepper 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin6 garlic cloves, minced1 cup heavy cream ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth ¼ cup basil pesto 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.
  2. Add remaining oil to skillet and cook mushrooms until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, broth, and chicken to skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  3. Transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil. Return skillet to high heat and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in pesto and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve.
Sautéed Chicken with Pesto-Mushroom Cream Sauce

Sautéed Chicken with Pesto-Mushroom Cream Sauce

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup basil pesto
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup basil pesto
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pounds)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup basil pesto
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Why This Recipe Works

Chicken recipes are weeknight standards, but our sautéed chicken is especially delicious when dressed up with pesto-mushroom cream sauce. Fresh or refrigerated pesto gave our sauce the best flavor. Slicing our mushrooms small and thin allowed them to brown quickly, which meant our Sautéed Chicken with Pesto-Mushroom Cream Sauce took less than 30 minutes to prepare.

Instructions

  1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.
  2. Add remaining oil to skillet and cook mushrooms until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, broth, and chicken to skillet and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  3. Transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil. Return skillet to high heat and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in pesto and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve.

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