I absolutely love my weekends because I get to spend some quality family time with my hardworking husband and our sweet daughter. I'm still in a daze to say that we have a daughter, and it's been a very blissful journey these past 2 months watching her grow. Unfortunately, Eric has been working some crazy and long days for some big projects all the while Elena and I stay home and play. I know he wishes that he was home with us, but that's why we try to take full advantage of the weekend when he has no work commitments. Mondays really make me wish that Friday was already here again, too.
Most of the time, I'm preparing dinner for myself during the week. If I'm lucky, Eric is sometimes home for dinner, but most times I'm usually packing dinner for his lunch the next day. The days I know that he'll be home for dinner, I really try to make the extra effort to make a comforting and memorable meal. Occasionally, I plan our meals thinking about vacations that I want (Greece) or past vacations that we have enjoyed, too. It's like preparing meals that are inspired from our dream vacations.
This mouthwatering dish of prosciutto and Gruyere chicken with a lemon mushroom sauce paired with a pesto spaghetti was one of those perfect vacation meals. Prosciutto and pesto always brings a big smile to my face because it's a little reminder of our Italy trip that we took together last May. We had eaten plenty of cured meats in Italy and had the best homemade pesto at Agriturismo Frallarenza. Somehow it always unlocks those memorable foodie moments.
A fantastic comforting meal that will make you forget that it's Monday. Hurry up Friday, I miss you already.
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Adapted from Pennies on a Platter
{Printable Recipe}
Ingredients:
For the Sauce:
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely diced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper
Optional: fresh basil leaves or fresh Italian parsley, sliced
For the Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 thin slices Prosciutto (1 per chicken breast)
4 thin slices Gruyere Cheese (about 1 ounce per chicken breast)
Preparation:
For the Lemon Mushroom Sauce:
Heat 2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil over medium high heat in a large non-stick skillet. Saute the onions until they are translucent and tender (about 3 minutes). Stir in the mushrooms and continue to cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms have softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook quickly, about 30 seconds.
Add the butter and pour in the lemon juice. Stir well until the butter is completely melted. Add the chicken broth, salt and pepper. Let the sauce simmer until slightly thickened (about 8-10 minutes). Cover and keep warm until ready to use.
For the chicken:
In a small bowl, combine the salt, oregano and black pepper. Coat both sides of the chicken breasts with the seasoning. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat until cooked through (about 7 to 9 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chicken).
Preheat the boiler and adjust oven rack to the center position. Transfer the cooked chicken breasts to a sheet pan. Place one slice of prosciutto on top of each chicken breast, then add a slice of Gruyere cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes or less.
To serve, place the chicken on plate and spoon the mushroom sauce over the top. Garnish with sliced basil leaves or chopped Italian parsley.
Review: Decadent and delicious. Nikki had originally used Fontina cheese, but I didn't have any in the fridge so I substituted Gruyere cheese. It's slightly sweet and salty and pairs wonderfully with the grilled chicken and prosciutto. More importantly, this was an inexpensive reminder of our Italy trip all enjoyed at home.
