Affare in a Downtown Hotel

My first job out of college was as at full service hotel working in the Sales and Catering department.  My first set of clients was working with college football teams…you immediately think “free tickets, attractive men, and excited fans” right?  WRONG. I love college football as much as anyone but their eating patterns is ATROCIOUS – buffets at 10am that included chicken breast, hamburgers, spaghetti and an ice cream bar.  My creative liberty to assist the operations director in meal planning was the suggestion to integrate Fruit Punch Gatorade in their beverage station.  As bitter sweet as it was, I got a promotion and moved to handle the corporate market.  This is where things got interesting.  My clients had money to spend and I had the ability to interact with the Executive Culinary team directly.  Two words, menu tasting!  I was fortunate to have the first hand training of what it takes to plan a menu, prepare the meals, find the right food for the right client and see the success live and in-person.  I also saw first hand the crazy drama that goes on behind the scenes at a hotel – politics, stress and a few of the other kind of affairs…not cool.  (I do have all the juice details, if you’re interested email me.)  Regardless, a wonderful experience with tasty return.  The ability to watch the chef, take notes on how he prepared food and learn cooking techniques helped me prepare,

Chicken in White Wine Sauce (I told you I was creative back then):

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Green Onions

Mushrooms – Sliced

1/3 cup Half and Half

1/3 cup White Wine plus 5 oz for your wine glass (are you seeing a trend?)

Dried Oregano

½ cup Chicken Broth

Shredded Italian Cheese

Flour

Butter

For Chicken

Pat chicken dry, salt and pepper to taste.  In large skillet or pan, heat EVOO (to quote Rachel Ray) on Medium heat until hot.  Place chicken breasts into hot pan, searing outside until nice and golden brown.  Remove from pan and set aside on plate.

For Sauce

Separate pan (no need for salmonella), melt 2 tablespoons of butter, add 2 tablespoons of flour, whisking until smooth, to create a roux.

AFFARE LESSON:  A roux is a thickening agent made of flour and butter; this is usually the base in most sauces and gravy. 

Once your roux is smooth and barely golden brown, add chicken broth, half and half and white wine.  Wisk this until thick then you can add your sliced mushrooms, green onions and spices (to taste).

Put it all Together

Take a greased baking dish, add seared chicken and pour sauce over your chicken breasts. 

Bake covered at 350 for 20-25 minutes, then add Italian cheese and bake uncovered until it is hot, steamy and melty.  Serve with your favorite carb and eat up!  Key takeaway…Searing chicken in hot EVOO makes a mess of your stovetop, but its necessary to seal in juices.  Cooking is worth the mess.