Mark Hix recipe: Chicken escalope with creamed wild mushrooms

Chicken escalope with creamed wild mushrooms (Jason Lowe)

Chicken escalope with creamed wild mushrooms

Serves 4

This is a great, quick, dinner-party dish with two simple ingredients. You can use a single wild-mushroom variety or a selection, depending on what's available. This also works well with the chicken cooked on the barbecue – just spoon over the mushrooms at the table.

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, skinned

Oil for brushing

A couple of knobs of butter

2-3 shallots, peeled, halved and finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

200-250g wild mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed, or sliced if they are large

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

300ml double cream

2tbsp chopped parsley

Lay a piece of clingfilm on a chopping board, place the chicken breast on top, then lay another piece of clingfilm over that. Flatten the chicken with a steak hammer or rolling pin until it has about halved in thickness.

Heat the butter in a saucepan and cook the shallots, garlic and mushrooms for 3-4 minutes, seasoning and turning them as they are cooking; then add the cream, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until the cream has reduced by half, thickened and just coats the mushrooms; stir in the parsley, cover with a lid and remove from the heat.

Preheat a ribbed griddle pan or barbecue, brush the chicken breasts with oil, lightly season and cook for a couple of minutes on each side.

To serve, transfer the chicken to warmed serving plates and spoon the creamed mushrooms over