By Anne Hilton Wednesday, August 29 2012

There’s nothing like herbs picked fresh from the backyard to make a dish extra special. Today I’m making style with my backyard herbs that are flourishing just now. I’m even having to weed the Thai or Holy Basil that seems determined to seed to take over the whole backyard while my sage is filling a large clay pot and I’ve even persuaded a couple of fine leaf thyme to grow large enough to cut that delightful herb fresh for the pot.

Although this recipe originally listed dried herbs (that you could use if you don’t grow herbs yourself, or have a kind friend with green fingers), I used fresh herbs straight from the garden (well, via a rinse and dry to wash off any dirt) to the pot.

I made one other change from the original recipe; instead of half and half and chicken broth to make the sauce I used Campbell’s Mushroom Soup.

Here, now, is what you’ll need to make Sage and Mushroom (and thyme and tarragon) Chicken to feed four people:



4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

pounded almost flat

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

6 largeish sliced local mushrooms

(or 8-10 smaller mushrooms)

2 pegs garlic, minced

½ largeish brown onion, chopped

Splash of white wine

2 finely chopped tablespoons of

fresh sage

(or 1 of dried leaf sage)

1 teaspoon of fresh fine leaf thyme

(or ½ teaspoon dried)

1 teaspoon of fresh tarragon, minced

(or ½ teaspoon dried)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chicken broth with ½ cup of half and

half (or Campbell’s mushroom soup)

½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)

6-10 ozs pasta (penne or rigatoni or shells)



Method

Melt the butter in a pan, add onion and cook two to four minutes until translucent, add the garlic, cook one minute more. Add the mushrooms and sauté five to ten minutes (until the mushrooms give up their liquor). Add the white wine.

Stir in the broth and half and half; bring to the boil and cook this sauce until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (Or you could hurry this process by adding two teaspoons of cornflour – cornstarch for US cooks – with water enough to make a thin paste).

Stir the sage, tarragon, thyme into the sauce, taste, adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Meanwhile cook the pasta as usual (ten minutes in boiling salted water). Drain, keep warm in serving dish.

Sprinkle lime juice, then salt and pepper on the chicken breasts. Heat the olive oil in another pan over a high heat, add the chicken breasts, cook for about three minutes each side (or until browned and cooked through).

Place the chicken on the pasta, pour over the sauce and garnish the dish with a sprig of parsley; pass the Parmesan for guests (family) to help themselves.

Serve with a green salad. Serves four.