Baked Basil Chicken

It was music night and Grandma was coming for dinner. Once again, I failed to prepare! I did, however, thaw some chicken breasts and I had basil in my herb garden (it's coming out my ears! - anybody want some?). The result of this particular dinner was worth sharing. It sounds fancy, looks fancy, tastes fancy and wasn't at all difficult to throw together. My kind of meal!



Baked Basil Chicken

4 large chicken breasts
olive oil
kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
2-3 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1/3 C. flour with 1/2 tsp. salt
2 C. milk
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
3-4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 C. water

Pound out chicken until it's all the same thickness. Cut into smaller pieces (about three per breast). Lay out on tray in single layer then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Heat skillet on high, add some olive oil to coat the pan and quickly place chicken, season side down in pan. Brown until nicely golden, almost dark; flip and brown the other side. Transfer to a large, shallow baking dish. Add a little more olive oil to pan and repeat with remaining chicken until all chicken is cooked and transfered to baking dish. (The chicken will not be thoroughly cooked at this stage.)

Remove pan from heat, add water to de-glaze. Using a whisk, clean off all bits on bottom of skillet. When skillet is clean and water is a nicely brown and flavorful, add butter and melt. Then add flour, salt and basil. Stir and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Slowly add milk and chicken bouillon (I dissolve the bouillon in milk before I start cooking), whisking gravy smooth with each addition of liquid. When gravy is thickened, pour over chicken until the chicken is almost covered. (You might have some gravy left over; serve on the side.)

Bake chicken in a 375 degree oven for 20 more minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through. I served a mixture of wild and brown rice with sliced, sauteed zucchini on the side. Very yummy! This recipe made a lot - it will probably serve 8.