Summer is almost over and it’s time to get ready for the Fall! This dish is the ultimate example of comfort food. The combination of juicy chicken breast (cooked sous vide), Leeks, baby bella mushrooms, and a delicious spicy cream sauce is the perfect combination for the upcoming season.

No need to fret if you don’t own a sous vide device, you can cook the chicken the traditional way. For optimal results, I recommend using the sous vide method.

Ingredients

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise

15-20 baby bella or white button mushrooms, sliced in half

2 Tbs unsalted butter

2-3 leeks sliced into rounds, white and pale green parts and soaked in a bowl to remove grit

1/3 cup white wine

1 cup whipping cream

2 Tbs grapeseed oil

2Tbs olive oil

2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp paprika

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

wild rice or noodles, for serving

sous vide device

2 ziplock or vacuum bags

*Note: If you don’t have a sous vide device, you can skip the sous vide step and cook your chicken to your liking. (be careful not to dry it out)

Directions

Pre-heat the sous vide bath to 145F. Mix the garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Season the chicken generously with the dry spices, and split them between the 2 vacuum bags with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in each bag and seal. If you are using ziplock bags, use the water displacement method. This is done by placing the food into a ziplock bag, then slowly lower the bagged food into your water filled container. The pressure of the water forces the air through the top of the bag. Once most of the air is out of the bag, carefully seal it. Place it in the water bath for 1 ½ -2 hours.

During the last half hour of the chicken cooking. In a heavy bottomed pan melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat, then add the leeks and mushrooms to the pan and sauté for 6-7 minutes until soft. Add the wine and simmer until it reduces by half, then pour in the cream and fresh thyme, pepper flakes (if using) and raise the heat to medium high. Simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the sauce thickens, then stir in the rest of the butter. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. In another skillet heat up the grapeseed oil over medium high heat. Remove the chicken cutlets from the bags and pat dry with paper towels and add more seasoning if needed. When the oil is hot, quickly sear the chicken on each side until browned.  Place chicken on top of rice  spoon on the sauce and serve. Enjoy!