Glad That's Over - Let's Have Comfort Food

No more political ads....or phone calls...or talking heads...and we can still watch Saturday Night Live if we want to.

Fall has truly arrived. With the change away from daylight savings time it now is nicely dark by dinner time. The rains are here at last and Sweetie has the wood stove going to ward off the chill. This kind of seasonal feeling makes me long for slow cooked savory foods like stews and soups. Tonight I made a slow cooked braised chicken dish base loosely on my Mom's recipe for Beef Stroganoff...so I guess I could call it Chicken Stroganoff. Mushrooms, onions and sour cream (non-fat in my case) are the key flavor components. If you use a non-stick skillet and skinless chicken, it is a fairly healthy dish. The nice thing is that you get the bonus of a nice sauce which can be spooned over pasta as a side dish. Add some green veggies or a salad and you are set with a savory dish of comfort food...perfect for a fall evening.

Chicken Stroganoff
based on Beef Stroganoff in Family Food, 1994 - serves 4

1 medium onion, peeled, cut in half, and sliced thinly
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 chicken thighs or chicken breasts or a combination
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can chicken broth
2 tablespoons brandy
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup sour cream (non-fat is O.K.)

Saute the onions and mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Set aside. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel.

Saute the chicken in the other tablespoon of the olive oil. Set aside.

Add the butter and let melt. Add the flour, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce, stir and cook over medium heat for a minute. Add the chicken broth and whisk to combine. Add the brandy, stir and let the sauce cook over medium heat until thickened.

Add the onion-mushroom mixture to the sauce. Stir to combine. Top with the chicken, flip the chicken pieces to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the thyme. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour (1/2 hour if using chicken breasts). Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream, stirring to combine with the sauce.

Serve the chicken with some sauce poured over the top of each portion. The rest of the sauce goes well with rice or pasta/noodles.