Chicken Diane

Chicken Diane

Diane sauce is more commonly found served with Steak. It dates back to ancient times when sauces were used to tenderize meats that were very tough, like venison and other wild game. Diane was the Roman goddess of the hunt, thus why sauce Diane was originally served with venison. Today Steak Diane is the evolution of this recipe most commonly made with beef filets that are pounded thin and covered with a rich cognac sauce very often served 'flambe' tableside. Personally, I think filet is much to valuable to coat in a rich sauce that doesn't allow you to truly taste the meat, therefore I decided to make this recipe with Chicken. It's a very interesting blend of mushrooms, light cream, cognac (or brandy or sherry...), worcestershire sauce and chicken stock. Using light cream reduces the richness but certainly doesn't short you on flavor. I served this with a simple mushroom risotto and garnished it with chives. It's really delicious and not difficult to make. It's not necessary to 'flambe' the sauce, but it certainly was fun!

origin - lisa lous and Emeril Lagasse (I used his original steak diane recipe and made some changes)
difficulty - medium
health meter - medium

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded thin (or thin chicken tenderloins)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 teaspoons minced shallots
1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
1/4 cup Cognac or brandy or sherry
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup light cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

Season the chicken on both sides with the salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until juices run clear. Remove from pan, cover and set aside. Add the shallots to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until soft, 2-4 minutes. Tilt the pan towards you and add the brandy. Tip the pan away from yourself and ignite the brandy with a match. (Alternatively, remove the pan from the heat to ignite, and then return to the heat.) When the flame has burned out, add the mustard and cream, mix thoroughly and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 1 minute. Add the Worcestershire and hot sauce and stir to combine. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan and turn to coat with the sauce. Let simmer on low until the sauce thickens slightly adding more chicken stock if necessary. Remove from heat and garnish with chives.