Happy Monday, everyone, I hope you had a nice weekend! We got pounded with more snow and negative degree highs…good thing wine warms the soul!
That’s right – while nasty weather forced us indoors nearly the entire weekend, I was able to sneak out on Friday night for wine and girl time at the new Pinot’s Palette that opened up in town. OMG IT WAS SO FUN!
Here’s the scoop – you bring the booze and snacks, they provide the paint, instruction, music, and fun. My girlfriend and I had a BLAST and agreed it would be awesome to go back for a double date or bachelorette party. My fancy wine bottle and champagne glass (which was supposed to be a wine glass, uhhh…) painting was perfect to hang in our master bathroom with the fancy chandelier the previous owners left behind – whee!
This weekend we also had Lincoln’s 6 month pictures taken (which actually took place on the day he turned 7 months – whoops!) Our sweet photographer braved the cold to come out to the house only to face our stone-cold baby. He cracked maybe 5 smiles the whole hour and a half shoot. Little stinker! ;) Can’t wait to see how they turn out though, his baby jeans and plaid button down just kill me!
After the grueling shoot, I made the men some sustenance…Man-Pleasing Chicken.
A few weeks ago I featured Witty in the City’s Man-Pleasing Chicken on Friday Favorites. I LOVED the concept – a simple chicken dish that her man could not get enough of. It inspired me to share one of Ben’s favorite chicken dishes of all time that’s not only man-approved, but goes from fridge to fork in just 30 minutes. That makes it IGE-approved, too. :)
Sauteed chicken breasts are smothered in a mouthwatering mixture of sauteed spinach, mushrooms, cream and parmesan cheese in this tasty, one-skillet supper. It’s then topped with bacon, of course, as you’d expect any man-pleasing chicken dish to be.
Man-Pleasing chicken is actually a recipe I made for a freelance project a few years ago under the name Ultimate Smothered Chicken. No matter what you call it, your man (or WOman) will go bonkers for this dish. Ben tasted it once and has asked for it again and again, which is unusual as he usually loathes repeat meals. This has made weekly spaghetti night, which I have been trying to make a “thing” for the past 5 years, rather difficult.
Anyway, this dish cooks in about 10 minutes but I tacked on an extra 20 for prep work. You know, chopping shallots and bacon, slicing mushrooms, and grating parmesan cheese. After the initial grunt work though, it’s smooth sailing. This chicken is tasty paired with roasted asparagus, or make it even heartier by serving over pasta or man-friendly mashed potatoes!
Start by browning 3 slices chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain then remove all but 1 teaspoon bacon grease from the skillet.
Turn the heat up to medium-high then season both sides of 4 chicken breasts that have been pounded thin with salt and pepper, and then saute for 3-4 minutes a side, or until no longer pink. You could use 4 regular-sized chicken breasts or do what I did and cut 2 breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 cutlets. This is a great way to make chicken go farther! Remove the chicken to a plate then tent with foil to keep warm.
Next melt 1 Tablespoon butter in the skillet then add 1 chopped shallot and 8oz sliced mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper then saute until the mushrooms turn golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Next, pile on the spinach! 4 cups baby spinach, to be exact, which will wilt in about 1 minute.
Finally, add 1/2 cup half & half (you could use heavy cream, but don’t use milk) and let it bubble and thicken for about 1 minute. Finish by tossing in 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese then stir until combined.
I prefer fresh grated parm by the way, if you can swing it!
Plate the chicken then spoon the luscious spinach-mushroom-cream sauce over top and finish with a sprinkling of crisp bacon, and a crack of black pepper. Like I said – Man-Pleasing Chicken! Enjoy!
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Man-Pleasing Chicken
Description
Man-Pleasing Chicken is one of my husband's favorite chicken recipes. From fridge to fork in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon, chopped
- 4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 8oz mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup half & half
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat then add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain then pour out all but 1 teaspoon bacon grease and turn heat up to medium-high.
- Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper then add to skillet and saute until no longer pink, 3-4 minutes a side. Remove to a plate then tent with foil to keep warm.
- Melt butter in skillet then add shallots and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until mushrooms are tender, 3-4 minutes. Add spinach then saute until just barely wilted, 1 minute. Add half & half then cook until sauce is thickened, 1 minute, then stir in parmesan cheese. Plate chicken then pour sauce on top and sprinkle with cooked bacon. Serve with pasta or mashed potatoes.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Alisa 11.13.2016
For the Man Pleasing Chicken, can I use evaporated milk instead of half and half?
Kristin 11.16.2016
Hi Alisa! I tend to think the outcome would not be the same – I’d stick with heavy cream or even 2% milk if you don’t want to use half and half.
Kim Weber 03.09.2016
I don’t do dairy, and I am not great at subbing, can I make this without the cream, or use something else?
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Christine G 02.26.2015
Made this for dinner tonight! It was delicious :D Definitely going into the bank of go-to chicken dinners. We had ours over zucchini noodles, and it was really tasty!
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Kelley P 09.27.2014
I have to be a hater for a minute, really I hope this becomes helpful criticism. I would love for this message to go to all food bloggers, but I can’t find a venue for that. Sorry you are my target, it’s not just you.
One or two picture of the finished dish are enough. Also, the picture does not need to be huge. I love the intermediate step pictures, they help us learn.
Put the recipe at the top, then the pictures and step by step stuff, and finally the adorable pictures of your kids.
It’s not so bad when viewed on a large screen, but reading this recipe on a phone or tablet requires paging down about 10 times.
Don’t stop blogging. Just tighten it up a bit.
OK, I’ll step off this soap box now and leave you alone.
Julie 08.27.2014
I made this last night & it was a HUGE hit! My husband is asking for it again later this week. I even tweeked the recipe a little bit to make it healthier, & it was still super yummy! I used fat-free half & half & packaged bacon pieces instead of the bacon (which also saved time). I also used canned mushroom pieces to save time. This was seriously yummy even after I healthified it. ;) Making your BBQ chicken quesadillas tonight!
Kristen 06.30.2014
This is another winner!! This is the second recipe I have made from your blog, and the second one that was a HUGE success. The first was your beef enchiladas. I can attest that this chicken is pleasing to men and women alike. I made it one night for a friend (who tends to have picky taste) and she cleared her plate and requested the recipe – I even forgot to add the Parmesan cheese to the sauce and it still had great flavor. I made it the next night for my boyfriend (with the Parmesan) and he also loved it. I kind of want to make a huge batch of this sauce and put it on everything I eat :-) Both times served on whole wheat penne pasta. A real people-pleaser and keeper. Thanks, Kristin!
Kristin 07.01.2014
So glad to hear!!
Angels 06.15.2014
Hi Kristin: This is a VERY delicious, and also a very eye-appealing dish. I served it first to my family, then to company…. and they couldn’t stop raving about it! The only thing I did differently was to add one small clove of crushed garlic. I served it over a bed of whole-grain spahgetti. This is about the tastiest chicken recipe which I’ve found on any cooking blog. Keep ’em coming. Best wishes to you & your lovely fsmily.
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[…] a sauce made of mustard, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, and black pepper. I found the recipe on Iowa Girl Eats. Apparently, it’s called “Man-Pleasing Chicken.” EDIT: CJ didn’t actually […]
Nora 03.31.2014
I made this tonight and my husband had seconds!! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I’ll be making it again!!
Eileen 03.17.2014
Why do reply’s made say to much of a mustard taste?I don’t see mustard as one of the ingredients.
Kristin 03.17.2014
Oh that was in regards to the other “Man Pleasing Chicken” dish I linked to at the beginning of the post that uses dijon mustard in the recipe!
Chris Tilley 03.12.2014
I can also be said to be wife pleasing. I made this the other night and my wife claimed the two leftover servings for her lunches. Pinned, Made and Reviewed.
MH 03.10.2014
Just made this for dinner and the flavor was excellent. Didn’t use the bacon and don’t think we really missed it at all. Thanks for a yummy keeper of a recipe. I’ll be making this again.
Heather 03.10.2014
Tried your recipe and my husband LOVED it! He even said the next day how good it was. Thanks for the recipe – Awesome!
michelle@decorandthedgo 03.10.2014
This was delicious. Definitely took longer than 30 minutes but worth it!
Gingergirl 03.09.2014
I just made this for dinner and my husband and I just loved it!! Thank you for sharing this. :)