Taking thyme out - Chicken & mushrooms in a white wine, thyme & lemon sauce

Fresh herbs add a little dazzle to your mid-week meals

Chicken and mushrooms with a white wine, thyme and lemon sauce

Do you find by the time spring arrives in the southern hemisphere you are left wondering where the year’s gone, why haven’t those new year resolutions been achieved, when did those pants shrink that fitted perfectly last summer and who the hell is that pasty, white faced, black eyed person staring back at you every time you look in the mirror?

You haven’t? Yeah, no, me either *insert sarcastic eyebrow lift here*

While our northern hemisphere friends are getting back into the daily routine of life, after what I hope was a great summer break. Here in the southern hemisphere, it seems that by the time September hits it’s only another hop, skip and a slam dunk before we’re singing Jiggle Bells and Frosty the Snowman while sweating it out in 90 per cent humidity. The absurdity!

Today, I invite you to STOP and smell the herbs and spices, ladies and gentlemen. It doesn’t matter where you are or what season you are in, go out to your herb garden, open your spice draw/container/jar, walk into your local fruit and veg shop and stick your head in a bunch of herbs, close your eyes and breathe in a long deep breath. And now relax. What did you smell? What did it remind you of? What dish did it make you want to eat?

I’m enjoying the smell of thyme. It conjures up memories of Sunday mornings on my deck with the sun dancing on my skin about to tuck into a plate of Swiss brown mushrooms fried in a little butter with fresh sprigs of thyme, laying on a piece of lightly toasted sour dough. Oh, yeah!

One of my favourite herbs, thyme

In honour of both thyme and mushrooms, today I'm sharing a great mid-week evening recipe that, like me, will help you stop, relax and enjoy a wonderful meal at the table with loved ones.

Chicken & mushrooms in a white wine, thyme & lemon sauce
by The Self-Raising Kitchen
serves 4

Chicken and mushrooms with a white wine, thyme and lemon sauce

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, halved
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
4 sprigs thyme, leaves pulled off stems
250g button mushrooms, halved
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon
olive oil
1/2 cup wine
1/2 chicken stock
Salt and pepper
1tsp cornflour

Method
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Season chicken breasts. In an oven proof dish add garlic, mushrooms, thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice and a glug of olive oil. Add chicken to the dish and mix everything around so the chicken and mushrooms are well coated. Add in the stock and wine. Cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

Chicken and mushrooms ready for the oven 

Once the chicken is cooked, place the chicken breasts and mushrooms on a separate plate, cover with aluminium foil. If you haven't used a dish suitable for a stove top, transfer the remaining liquid into a pan. Place pan on a high element and wait for the liquid to boil. Add a tsp of cornflour to a little cold water and add to boiling liquid. Leave to simmer for 2 minutes. Taste. See if the sauce needs a little more salt or pepper, or just a squeeze of lemon juice. If you feel you need more sauce - although a little goes a long way - simply add more wine, water or stock. Be sure to check the seasoning.


Plate up the chicken and mushrooms with your favourite steamed greens and spoon the white wine sauce over the meat.
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Such a simple, tasty recipe to enjoy and share with loved ones over a relaxing vino. Yes?