Chicken & Wine

This post is not about writing. *Shock* It's about food, which is another hobby (both the eating and the cooking parts) high on my favorites list.

Tonight I was in a bit of a quandary. I had a couple of the little cousins coming over for dinner and I planned to make mini-pizzas out of pita bread. No big deal.

Until I remembered I used the last of the tomato sauce on pasta yesterday.

After living in China for eight years, I can do miracles with a can of cream of chicken soup. But tonight the cupboard let me down. There was not even a single can of cream of chicken soup in it. Without a can of cream of chicken soup, I was lost.

Here I was at home with six children, no husband, and no canned goods (I didn't have canned corn, canned tomatoes, or cream of mushroom, either -- talk about cupboard fail!). I actually considered fixing everyone Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. (Horrors!)

"Be creative!" I ordered myself, thinking immediately of one of my favorite food network shows, Chopped, where professional chefs have to make food in twenty minutes with a very weird combination of ingredients. "I can do this!"

And I did it.

When the food was on the table, the kids gobbled it up. They all complimented me, actually. The husband came home and said, "Wow. That's amazing," before heading back over to the stove for seconds.

Now I know you're all dying for the recipe. What did I do without my can of cream of chicken soup?

(Keep in mind, this is a recipe I've only made once; I haven't tested it twenty times or anything like the Barefoot Contessa would have. The measurements are approximate.)

CHICKEN IN WINE BUTTER SAUCE

Ingredients:

1/2 cube butter
5-7 chicken breasts
Italian breadcrumbs
Italian seasoning
1/2 Cup white wine
1 Cup chicken broth
2 strips bacon
Green beans (or other green vegetable, either frozen or fresh will work)
Pine nuts (optional)
White rice

(1) Cook rice in rice cooker
(2) Melt butter in large saucepan. Add chicken breasts. Season with breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning. When 3/4 cooked through, turn over, and season with breadcrumbs and seasoning. Add two strips bacon. Allow to simmer about 3 minutes. Pour in wine. Bring to a boil. Add green beans. Add chicken broth. Return to a boil. Simmer until green beans are cooked through.
(3) Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in dry pan.
(4) In a bowl, put down rice and ladle chicken mixture on top. Sprinkle with pine nuts if desired.

That's it. Now time to enjoy!

Obviously this recipe is not fat free or vegetarian. But it is incredibly quick, and we all liked it a lot. Let me know if you decide to try it -- or a variation of it!

And now a Q4U: Do you enjoy being creative in the kitchen?