Have you ever cooked with moscato wine? I hadn’t before but this chicken moscato with garlic and herbs ended with both John and his dad putting their hands up to claim the leftovers.
We had some friends stop by the other day and they brought a bottle of moscato wine with them. It’s all my friend Joan will drink so she brings her own – just in case folks aren’t prepared. Do you bring your own wine if you’re just stopping by for a quick visit? I’ll admit that unless I’m headed for a meal or drinks, I don’t.
The bottle was nearly full when they left and no amount of coaxing convinced them to take the bottle with them. What to do? I could drink it or I could cook with it.
Surprised that I chose to cook with it? I’m not a big drinker. I like to drink but I don’t like the feeling of being drunk. Add to the mix that it takes next to nothing to make me giggle. If I’d consumed the rest of that bottle, I’d have been dancing on the table and frankly that’s not a pretty sight.
I had some chicken breasts in the fridge that really needed to be cooked and and I had this nearly full bottle of wine. It was a start.
First I sliced a bunch of mushrooms and then cut the chicken into chunks. I dredged the chicken in the flour mixture and browned it in the skillet. When it was finished, I put it in a clean bowl and in the same pan cooked the onion and garlic in low heat until translucent then added the mushrooms. Next came the wine and the cream and cooked til thickened then added the herbs and chicken. Easy, easy to make and it was delicious.
We enjoyed it over rice but it would be equally good over pasta.
- 1-pound boneless skinless chicken pieces, cut into bite sized pieces (thighs would be best but all I had was breasts.)
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided (can use cooking oil)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- ¾ cup moscato wine
- ½ cup cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Rice or pasta to serve
- Mix the salt, pepper, cornflour and flour together.
- Place the chicken into a large bowl and sprinkle the flour mix over it.
- With your fingers, shake the chicken in the flour to coat.
- Heat a large skillet to medium and add oil.
- Add the chicken in batches and cook until lightly browned. (Don't overcook chicken)
- When all the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a clean bowl and set aside.
- Using the same skillet, add the remaining oil and the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté for about 3-4 minutes until they just begin to brown.
- Add the wine and stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat to medium and let the wine cook and then add the cream.
- Cook for about 6-8 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the chopped parsley, basil and cooked chicken into the mushroom mixture and stir.
- Reduce the heat to low until ready to serve.
- Serve the chicken over rice or pasta.