Roasted Chicken Breasts with Morel Mushroom Pan Sauce

I finally did it. I bought and cooked morel mushrooms! They are usually $28-$30 a pound in my local grocery stores, so when I stumbled upon a booth in my local farmer’s market selling a bag of freshly picked morels for $7.00, you KNOW I had to buy them! I went in search of recipes through my cookbooks and online, and I was actually going to use them in a pasta dish when I found this recipe on Serious Eats that looked irresistible. This recipe was fun to make and it was a BIG hit with all of us. I adapted the recipe a bit by using skinless boneless breasts and cornstarch instead of gelatin because that was what I had on hand. The chicken was tender and the morel mushroom sauce made this dish decadent and delicious. We all loved this recipe, especially my daughter, who thought the morel mushroom sauce was “AMAZING”.

How to Make Roasted Chicken Breasts with Morel Mushroom Pan Sauce

Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Rinse and pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel then season well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully lay chicken breasts into a hot skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes. Flip chicken breasts over and transfer skillet to the oven to roast for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through.

While the chicken is roasting, add the chicken stock, wine, and cornstarch to a liquid measuring cup and whisk well. Set aside.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and place over medium-high heat. Add morel mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until well-browned, about 4 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic slivers and cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk the stock/wine/cornstarch mixture well and add it to the mushrooms. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking on high heat until sauce is reduced by about two-thirds, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the butter and soy sauce and cook at a hard boil until emulsified, about 30 seconds. Taste sauce and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, if needed. Remove from the heat.

Slice the chicken breasts and transfer them to individual serving plates. Spoon sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve immediately. Enjoy.