Oregano Chicken with Pancetta Cream Sauce

Approximate time: 45 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

CHICKEN

4 Chicken Breasts

Dried Oregano

Fresh Rosemary

Sea Salt

Ground Pepper

Olive Oil

SAUCE

6 Baby Portabella Mushrooms

½ Sweet Onion

3 oz Pancetta

2 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 Cup Half and Half

2 Cups Milk

2 Roma Tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Chicken

Pound chicken with flat side of meat tenderizer until chicken breast is about 1/4 inch thick.  (*TIP – place chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap)  Start with thickest portion. Half way through pounding sprinkle with rosemary, oregano, sea salt and ground pepper. Then pound in spices, flip and spice the other side, pound again until down to ¼ inch thick.  If you do not have a meat tenderizer, you can use a soup can.  Don’t be afraid to let out aggression.  Try to have even thickness throughout the entire piece.  

You have two options for cooking the chicken.

Method one – stove top grilling

Turn burner up to medium high heat.  Put a thin coat of olive oil on the pan.  Wait until pan is hot to put meat on.  Cook until you have nice grill marks before flipping to other side.  Be careful not to over cook or you will dry the chicken out.  

Method two – oven baked

Pre-heat oven to 375.  Line pan with foil.  Place chicken on pan and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, time will vary with ovens.  

Sauce

Dice 6 mushrooms (*TIP - cut off end of mushroom cap and use as flat surface to slice the rest) and ½ of a sweet onion.  After cutting the onion run it under cold water until thoroughly rinsed, this helps reduce the heavy onion taste but still provides a nice flavor and crunch.  

Put a frying pan over medium high heat.  Once pan is heated place in 3 oz pancetta fry like bacon until slightly crispy and then remove and dice.  

While pancetta is cooking crush and chop 1 garlic clove. Then mash with a little sea salt until paste like.  

Leave the pancetta pan on the heat and place the garlic paste into the pan with the left over pancetta grease.  Keep on medium to medium high heat.  Add diced onions.  Add chopped mushrooms.  Add about ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste. 

 After mushroom and onions are cooked through, mushrooms are translucent and onions have begun to caramelize, add the pancetta back into the pan.  Cook for another 1-2 minutes.  

Take everything out of the pan and place in bowl. Leave pan on heat and put about 2 tablespoon of butter, let it melt, add 2 tablespoon of flour and mix into a paste.  This will help the sauce thicken. Watch carefully because it will burn.   

As soon as you have the paste mixed add back in everything you put in the bowl.  Turn heat down to medium.  Add 1 cup of half-and-half and 2 cups milk, stir as you pour.  

Bring to simmer; as it simmers it will thicken.  The longer it simmers the thicker it gets.  Watch and stir often.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Final Touch

To make your plate place your chicken on top of rice or pasta.  Top with sauce.  Finish the plate off by topping with diced Roma tomatoes and fresh basil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.