Chicken (Turkey) with Balsamic Wine Sauce

Last week was not a good week for cooking or baking. When life gets too busy and stressful it seems so much easier to pick something up on the way home, or pull a frozen meal out of the freezer and call it a night. How easily I forget that home cooking can be just as efficient if you pick the right recipe. On a Sunday night I do have plenty of time to cook something involved and fancy, but I opted for a fast and simple meal that would be ideal for a busy weeknight. Home-cooked meals are almost always cheaper and more nutritious than anything fast food or from the freezer. To silence that little defeatist voice in my head that tells me I don't have the time or energy to cook tonight, I need to counter it with solid offerings like this one that come together in less than 15 minutes.

Chicken/Turkey with Balsamic Wine Sauce

2 boneless skinless chicken or turkey breasts, cut in chunks and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 of an onion, chopped
1/4 of a red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 of a yellow bell pepper, chopped
4 cremini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp flour
2 tbsp butter

Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium-high. Add the chicken/turkey breast pieces and sauté 3 minutes on each side. Add all the vegetables, season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn't burn. Add the wine and balsamic vinegar, stir, and let boil. Turn down to medium. With flour in a small dish, spoon 3-4 tbsp of the sauce out of the pan and into the dish with the flour. Stir well until the flour is completely dissolved. Add the roux (flour and sauce mixture) to the pan and stir. Let come to a boil once more. Turn down to low heat, add the butter and let melt. Stir once more, and then serve immediately.

 Simple and flavourful. It's a wonderful dish full of lean protein and veggies, and it's low in fat with no starch and no cream in the sauce. This recipe made two servings with a light amount of sauce. You can always adjust the amounts if you're in more of a saucy mood!



My beats for tonight is a song that is bright and bursting, similar to this dish having bright colours and bursting with delicious flavours: Dreams by the Cranberries.