Real Life Recipes

Chicken Stroganoff
As prepared by Chef Mike Benninger of Thyme Management
Traditionally, this dish was made with beef, but you can make it with almost any meat you like, but I find that chicken dark meat, such as thigh and leg meat works great and is both affordable and readily available.

Cut approximately 1 lb (or about 500gms) of chicken dark meat, cut into bite sized pieces. Cook it in 2 TBSP of butter along with 1 TSP (or about 2 cloves) of minced garlic on medium-high heat until it is just cooked, about 5-6 minutes. Non-stick pans are great for a dish like this.

After it is cooked, scoop the cooked chicken into a bowl and to the left over butter/juices, add 1 red onion cut into bite sized pieces along with 1 cup or so of chopped button mushrooms and 1 TSP of salt. Cook this for about 5-6 minutes on medium-high until the onions are just soft.

When finished, add the cooked chicken and juices back to the pan to warm through. Removing the chicken helps it stay moist, but also let’s you re-use the butter the chicken cooked in to help keep the fat count a bit lower. After everything is hot, add 1 full tub of sour cream, 1/3 at a time, and mix it through. I prefer to use the full fat version, but light versions will work too.

The heat in the pan will soften the sour cream, turning it into a sauce that will combine with the rest of the pan juices, it only takes a minute or so. The sauce you want to make should similar in consistency to gravy. If the sauce is a bit too thick, add ½ cup of either white wine or chicken stock, if it’s too thin, lower the heat to medium-low and let it reduce for a few minutes.

Let everything cook together for another few minutes, then add ½ cup chopped fresh dill. You only want the soft tips. I like to add the dill in the three steps, mixing it through between each addition, that way everything is spread out evenly and you are less likely to add too much. Remember that you want your flavours to blend together, not fight for dominance. Season with salt and pepper and turn off the heat.

I like to serve it over boiled egg noodles, but any cooked pasta will work. To plate this dish, I like to use the noodles as a base or bed, and the stroganoff mixture on top, with a green salad on the side and a bit of fresh dill or chives on top as garnish.