Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Chicken and hamburger are probably the two meats I cook with the most so when I come across a new, fun, quick recipe for either of these meats I'm eager to try it! The other evening I was browsing my favorite website for recipes (eatingwell.com) and found a Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce recipe. My first reaction was that this would be fabulous! All I'd need to do was cook some chicken and then open a can of cream of mushroom soup! Well the recipe didn't call for the can of soup but rather fresh ingredients which added much more flavor and probably less sodium!

Here's the link to the page:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/mushroom_cream_chicken.html

And for your convenience I've pasted it below with my comments!

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce
From EatingWell: March/April 2008
2 servings

"The secret to a good cream sauce is always the same: not too much cream or it can be overpowering, masking the more delicate flavors. Here it contains a bountiful amount of mushrooms and is served over chicken breasts."

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
* 2 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 medium shallot, minced
* 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
* 2 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine
* 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons heavy cream
* 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or scallion greens

Preparation
1. Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
3. Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Nutrition
Per serving: 275 calories; 15 g fat (5 g sat, 7 g mono); 84 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrates; 25 g protein; 1 g fiber; 373 mg sodium; 370 mg potassium.

My Notes!
First off I ran into a few problems at the grocery store. I couldn't find a shallot so substituted it with a small yellow onion. I also couldn't find cream and substituted it with light cream which was just as good and healthier! Some of the comments on the website said users tried baby bella mushrooms so I did that and liked it. I diced the chicken into bite-sized pieces before cooking so it would cook faster and could be eaten easier. Instead of canola oil I used olive oil which added a nice flavor. I used a white wine; chardonnay I believe. Other than this I followed the instructions and didn't have any trouble.

Menu Ideas
I served whole wheat rigatoni and green peas with the chicken and sauce. The green peas where from the frozen section and steam-in-the-bag so really easy preparation. I think it could've easily be served as a one-dish meal, tossing everything together in the pot. Just depends how you like everything to go down!

Would I eat/make this again? Yes!