Balsamic mushroom chicken breast

The recipe aptly comes from a cookbook by the Hearty Boys, Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh. It is a hearty dish that, when paired with roasted root vegetables, makes an ideal meal for a cold, winter night. It's hard to give the dinner staple chicken breast a new lease on life, but this dish is just tasty enough to do just that.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1½ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 8 ounces each

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

6 cups sliced white mush- rooms

2 pints cherry tomatoes, quartered

6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 cups Cabernet

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the vegetable oil and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Once the butter and oil are bubbling, add the chicken breasts to the skillet four at a time. Sear on each side until the chicken is golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, then transfer them to a large baking dish. Repeat with the remaining breasts and set aside.

Melt the remaining 2 sticks of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the mushrooms, stir and raise the heat to high. Allow the mushrooms to cook until most of their liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add half of the tomatoes and cook, shaking the pan, for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to break down. Add the vinegar, wine, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Pour the mushroom mixture over the chicken and add the remaining tomatoes. Place the pan in the top half of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken has just cooked through. Remove from the oven and serve each piece of chicken generously topped with mushroom mixture.

Adapted from Talk With Your Mouth Full: The Hearty Boys Cookbook

Nutrition facts per serving: 722 calories, 46 g fat, 24 g saturated fat, 233 mg cholesterol, 10 g carbohydrates, 58 g protein, 651 mg sodium, 1 g fiber