Baked chicken imperial (recipe).

This is another recipe from Cook's Country that I made recently, and it was another winner. Seriously, everything I've ever made from this magazine has turned out fabulous! This dish has a fancy feel to it, but it's very easy to make, and can even all be done in one pan. I made these for Matt and I, so we saved two of the chicken breasts for the next night, and I must say they make delicious leftovers.

I served these with some simple sautéed zucchini, and fresh bread to soak up the sauce. Fantastic! Go make some for dinner tonight - while your busy, I'll be here trying to figure out where the heck July went to!

Baked Chicken Imperial

Adapted from April/May 2012 Cook's Country

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (trimmed)

4 ounces French baguette

1/3 cup grated parmesan

5 tbs butter (3 tbs softened, 2 tbs melted)

3 tbs fresh parsley, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 ts fresh thyme, minced

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 shallot, minced

2 ts Dijon mustard

Instructions

1) Sprinkle 1.5 teaspoons of salt over the chicken, cover with plastic wrap, then place in the refrigerator while you prepare the breading. Preheat oven to 425 degrees f. 

2) Process the bread in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add the parmesan, 3 tbs softened butter, 2 tbs parsley, garlic, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper. Process until fully combined.

3) Pat the chicken dry, and season with pepper. Arrange chicken in an X shape in a large skillet (narrow ends in the middle of the pan, skinned side up). Brush chicken with butter, then pile the bread crumbs on top evenly.

4) Whisk together cream, broth, wine, shallot, and mustard. Carefully pour 1.5 cups of sauce into the pan around the chicken breasts. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until crumbs are golden brown and chicken is cooked through. 

5) Gently remove the chicken from the pan; cover loosely with foil. Add the rest of the sauce to the pan, whisk together, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cook until thickened (about 5 minutes), remove from heat, and season with remaining parsley, salt, and pepper. 

Enjoy! I link up to these parties.