Mushroom, Spinach, and Sun-Dried Tomato Cheesy Chicken Skillet
Try this Mushroom, Spinach, and Sun-Dried Tomato Cheesy Chicken Skillet recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Mushroom, Spinach, and Sun-Dried Tomato Cheesy Chicken Skillet recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 1 small shallot minced
- 3 oz baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes packed in oil drained then roughly chopped
- 2 large chicken breasts sliced in half widthwise to create cutlets
- 4 oz freshly shredded gouda cheese (could use fontina swiss or even white cheddar)
- Carbohydrate 5.21532129927587 g
- Cholesterol 281.38578125327 mg
- Fat 10.6056005334735 g
- Fiber 1.87579430201524 g
- Protein 110.947183639254 g
- Saturated Fat 3.63600831198576 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (591g)
- Sodium 604.412607707748 mg
- Sugar 3.33952699726064 g
- Trans Fat 1.91750090142204 g
- Calories 585 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat butter and extra virgin olive oil in a large, 12" skillet over heat that's just a touch above medium. Add mushrooms and shallots then saute until the mushrooms release their liquid. Once the liquid has evaporated, season with salt and pepper then continue sauting until the mushrooms are golden brown, 5 minutes. Add garlic then saute until very fragrant, 1 minute, then add spinach and sun dried tomatoes and saute until spinach has just wilted, 1-2 minutes. Season vegetables generously with salt and pepper then remove to a plate and loosely tent with foil to keep warm.
- Spray skillet with olive oil or nonstick spray then season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper on each side. Add to the skillet then saute until golden brown on one side, 2-3 minutes. Flip then add 1/4 of the shredded cheese to the tops of each chicken cutlet. Place a lid on the skillet then cook until the cheese has melted and chicken is cooked through, 2-3 minutes.
- Plate chicken then top with the vegetable mixture and serve.
Mushrooms do the heaviest lifting in this skillet by providing both structural contrast and umami depth, provided they are treated correctly in the pan. Slicing white button or cremini mushrooms to a uniform quarter-inch thickness ensures they make maximum contact with the hot metal surface, allowing moisture to escape efficiently so browning can finally occur. When butter and extra virgin olive oil are combined at medium-high heat, the oil raises the smoke point of the butter while the milk solids promote rapid caramelization of the natural sugars present in the fungi and alliums.
Managing Moisture and Melt
Achieving the right textural interplay between tender poultry and crisp-tender vegetables requires strict adherence to pan management. Allowing mushrooms to release all their internal water and then fully evaporate before adding aromatics prevents steaming. Garlic burns quickly at temperatures above 350 degrees Fahrenheit, which explains why it enters the pan for only one final minute of vegetable cooking. Covering the skillet during the final melting phase traps ambient steam just long enough for the freshly shredded cheese to flow across the surface of the flipped cutlets without overcooking the interior poultry meat.
- If mushrooms remain rubbery, the heat was likely too low or the pan was overcrowded; increase the burner output and cook in batches.
- Substitute fontina or Swiss at a direct one-to-one ratio if gouda is unavailable, keeping in mind that high-moisture cheeses require an extra thirty seconds under the lid.
- Store leftovers in an airtight glass container for up to three days, reheating gently over low heat to prevent the poultry proteins from tightening.
