This meal is a cross between chicken paprikash - with yogurt instead of sour cream - and chicken with mushrooms in cream sauce, but the "cream" is yogurt.
Buy the most interesting mushrooms you can afford. If not all wild, then at least some wild to add interest to the plain-white mushrooms that are the most reasonably priced.To add some real zest to the meal a combination of yellow, orange, red and brown peppers is stirred with balsamic vinegar and sugar.
GAME PLAN- Bring water to boil for bow ties.
- Prepare onion and saute.
- Prepare mushrooms and saute.
- Prepare garlic and add to onions.
- Prepare chicken.
- Prepare peppers for salad.
- Cook bow ties.
- Brown chicken.
- Mix yogurt-sauce ingredients together; add yogurt mixture to chicken with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Finish salad.
- Wash, dry and chop parsley.
- Drain bow ties.16 ounces whole onion or 14 ounces chopped (ready-cut)
12 ounces wild mushrooms or combination wild and white mushrooms
10 ounces skinless boneless chicken breasts
Parsley (2 tablespoons)
Box bow-tie pasta (8 ounces)
14 ounces whole red, yellow, orange and/or brown bell peppers or 12 ounces thinly sliced peppers
Chicken in Mushroom "Cream" Sauce
16 ounces whole onion or 14 ounces chopped (ready-cut) (31/3 cups)
1 teaspoon olive oil
12 ounces wild mushrooms or combination of wild and white mushrooms
1 large clove garlic
10 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt, optional
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped parsley Coarsely chop onion.
Heat oil in large non-stick skillet; saute onion.
Wash, trim and slice mushrooms and add to onions while they are cooking.
Mince garlic and add to onions.
Wash and dry chicken breast and when onions are soft and beginning to brown, add chicken and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
Stir a little of the yogurt into the cornstarch to make a paste; stir in remaining yogurt, tomato paste and paprika. When chicken is browned, add to pan, mixing well. Sprinkle with lemon juice and season with optional salt and with plenty of pepper. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture thickens.
Wash, dry and chop parsley and sprinkle over chicken and sauce.
Serve over bow ties. (Serves two.)
Bow Ties
8 ounces bow ties or other macaroni
1/8 teaspoon salt, optional Bring 3 quarts water to boil in covered pot.
Add bow ties and cook according to package directions.
Drain and sprinkle with optional salt.
Sweet-and-Sour Peppers
14 ounces whole red, yellow, orange and/or brown bell peppers or 12 ounces thinly sliced peppers (ready-cut) (3 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Wash, trim and seed whole peppers. Slice thinly and cut slices in halves or thirds.
Mix sugar and vinegar thoroughly in serving dish and stir in peppers, mixing well.