Chicken with Brie and Mushroom - Incredibly Easy

I love a good challenge in the kitchen - difficult recipes that make me wonder if they’re going to turn out right, until the moment I taste it.  Those can be very rewarding and exciting.

But sometimes, since I have a much busier schedule than I ever thought I’d have, I need some quick recipes that are just as delicious and satisfying as the difficult ones.  Here’s one I concocted a while back that I’d like to share, for home cooks on the go.

All you need are thinly sliced chicken breasts, a wedge of good brie, 2 portobello mushrooms thinly sliced, a bottle of Pinot Noir, and finely chopped fresh parsley.  Well, kind of.

Anyway, preheat the oven to around 250 degrees F.  Heat a dash of olive oil in a skillet, and season your chicken breasts on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.  Saute the chicken until it’s cooked on both sides, and remove from heat.  Place the chicken in a baking pan(s), depending on how many you are serving.  In the same skillet, saute the portobello mushrooms, seasoning with the kosher salt and black pepper.  Once they have cooked down a bit and begun to brown, add about a cup of Pinot Noir (it doesn’t have to be expensive, but not something cheap and that you wouldn’t enjoy to drink - I suggest a basic Bourgogne rouge but any everyday Pinot Noir will do), and cook down, with the mushrooms, until it begins to thicken and form a sort of sauce.

Over the chicken, places thin slices of the brie, and then top with the mushroom sauce.  Bake at 250F until the cheese melts.  Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve, and enjoy with a glass of Pinot Noir, and maybe some crusty bread.  If it sounds easy, yes, it is.  The whole thing hardly takes more than 20 minutes.