Way back in the 80’s when Prego was the hot new Italian place on Union Street, and when Union Street was the hot neighborhood in San Francisco their signature dish was rotisserie chicken with a mustard sauce. I never have been able to replicate the sauce and since Prego is closed I won’t have the chance to have that dish again. However, this isn’t too far off the mark and is super simple to make. Dinner is ready in less than 30 minutes, and it’s a family pleaser, even for kids who don’t think they like mustard.
In the classic French tradition I like to serve this dish with a simple side of asparagus, but the mustard sauce is delicious with any vegetable and really good with tiny roasted new potatoes. There is no other mustard to compare with a good quality Dijon, it’s the flavor of the Dijon that really makes this sauce and the quality of the cream. It’s best to use heavy cream for this dish. If serving this sauce with fish I like adding a dusting of finely chopped fresh chervil.
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 T butter
1 T coconut oil
1 shallot, peeled and sliced thin
1 whole garlic clove-crushed
1 C heavy cream
1 T Dijon type mustard
A couple of grindings of fresh nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally so that you have fur thinner chicken breasts season with salt and pepper and set aside. Melt the butter and coconut oil in a large skillet until the butter is bubbly. Place the breast in the hot pan and cook until golden brown on each side, about 4 minutes a side. Remove from the pan to make the sauce.
Add the shallots to the pan and sauté briefly until softened. Add the garlic and the cream and bring the cream to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer until the cream has thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the mustard and season the sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Slide the chicken back into the sauce and turn off the flame under the pan. Let the chicken sit in the sauce about 3-5 minutes before serving.
Serves 4
