Monday, August 6, 2018

Sherry Chicken Saute Recipe



I started entered young adulthood with absolutely no domestic skills, none,
zero, zip!  After my parents dropped me off at my college dorm, I
was clueless.  It's not that I was going to be cooking, because I was on
the college meal plan, but other than making my bed, I was useless.
I didn't even know how to do laundry.   This is not something I am proud
of, it is fact.  In my young life, I sent my clothes down the laundry shoot
to the basement and they magically arrived back folded and placed 
in my dresser drawers, or hung up in the closet.   Fortunately for me,
I was not the only one in my dorm who was a pampered princess.  
One of the upperclass girls was assigned to give a group of us
instructions on how to use a washing machine and dryer.  Laundry 101
was how we lovingly referred to it.  Fortunately, or unfortunately,
I was not the only sheltered girl on campus.  There was another 
freshman who had never "drawn her own bath".  She came knocking
on our dorm room door the first night and asked us for help.  Now
this was something I could handle and was only too happy to 
show her how it was done.  

So now you know that my domestic skills were lacking,
and hence I had no ability in the kitchen either.  I didn't even
know how to bake cookies!  Shameful, I know.  Since I was
a novice on that front as well, after college, my family members
decided it was time for me to start learning to cook as well
as wash clothes.  My Mama passed down her recipe box with
mostly blank index cards and a few of her beloved recipes
handwritten and filed away.




I started collecting recipes from friends, and magazines and family
members.  Little by little, the box started to fill up, and my skills
in the kitchen began to grow.  I discovered that I liked to cook.

This is a long introduction to a recipe, but there is a reason for that too.
Notice how splattered this recipe card is.  It dates back to my early
days of food prep.  I was always referring to the recipe as I cooked,
and back in those days, in a tiny apartment, space was limited and
the recipe was right next to the stove.   I have old cookbooks that
look like this too ;-)

Sherry-Chicken Saute is an oldie.  

4 Chicken breasts, skinned and boned
1/2 Clove Garlic, minced
1/4 Cup plus 2 T olive oil
1/4 Cup plus 2 T Red Wine Vinegar
2 T chopped fresh Parsley
1 t dried whole Tarragon
1/2 Cup Sherry
Salt & Pepper

Saute the chicken in EVOO until lightly browned.  Add garlic
and saute lightly, but do not burn.  Remove chicken to a plate
and add the red wine vinegar, parsley, tarragon, sherry and 
salt and pepper to skillet.  Put chicken back in the pan, cover,
and turn heat to simmer for 20 minutes.  

The original recipe does not call for this step, but do add it
because it will intensify the flavor of the sauce.  Remove the
chicken to a plate and cover with foil.  Increase heat under 
sauce and let it reduce a bit.  This step will intensify the
flavor and add more zip to the sauce.  

Plate the chicken and pour the sauce over it.  




This old recipe was recently remembered by me and will be on
the chicken menu rotation once again.  It's quick, easy and tasty
Truly a 30 minute meal.

Hmm ... I wonder what other recipes are in this box that I 
have forgotten about???



Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley

8 comments:

  1. I may try this tonight...

    How much of a difference would skipping the sherry make? I don't have any.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The combo of the sherry wine and red wine vinegar really make the sauce unique. I'm not sure how it will taste. Do you have any sweet wine that you could add?

      Delete
  2. Ha, you pampered princess you!! Not my life at all, we had daily chores to do. My dad would write them down on the chalkboard in the kitchen and if ever we had a friend stay over they would find their names on the board as well. Nobody was exempt haha. Although my cooking skills came from my Mother In Law, she's an amazing cook and with the patience of my poor hubby I finally came around which came in handy for when we had three growing boys to feed! Your chicken recipe looks amazing I'm gonna try it, I already have all the ingredients :)
    Have a great week!!!
    Saimi

    ReplyDelete
  3. As teens, we were assigned our days to cook, but there was little supervision...hence, my sister would serve fried chicken that was raw on the inside. Good times. It wasn't until Hubby and I moved into our own place that I embraced cooking and collecting recipes. One of my fav early on books was The I Hate to Cook Book by Peg Bracken. Funny and practical. I think learning to cook is very trial and error, hands on. No matter whether you had a mom to show you or not!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true. I taught myself almost everything, but I had lots of fun doing it too!

      Delete
  4. Cooking with sherry used to be all the rage. You don't hear about it much anymore. I bet is was delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I never did my own laundry while living at home, either, Susan, and I have to admit, I did all four of my kids' laundry, too. I always felt that kids are kids for such a short time. I always was in charge of desserts at home, and I guess that's why I still love to bake, and why I majored in Home Ec in college. Anyway...the chicken recipe sounds wonderful, and I'll be trying it soon. I don't like recipes with long lists of ingredients any more. Thank You!

    ReplyDelete

Oliver and I LOVE and read every comment.

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