One-Pot Chicken with Green Beans, Mushrooms & Leeks with Balsamic-Mustard Glaze
I'm always super skeptical of "one-pot" recipes. Seriously? No other pots will be used? Puh-lease. I'll believe it when I see it. This dish actually does fall into the "one-pot" category, but I'm a logistics person and can't help but think about the cutting board needed to slice vegetables, a strainer to rinse the mushrooms, that extra plate you'll use to keep the chicken warm while cooking the other ingredients before popping it all into the oven, etc. Maybe that's over-thinking the simplicity of a one-pot dish and also being super cynical, but hey, if someone doesn't do it, who will?! Cynicism aside, I'll tell you this will require very minimal pots, pans, etc. but I'm not going to lie and say everything literally gets thrown into one pot and, voilà, you're done. Unless you don't care about texture or cooking times. Then throw it all in, yo.
Wow, I've gotten so far off track here. Let's get down to brass tacks. The inspiration for this came as I spotted an abundance of green beans at the Kingfield Farmers Market last weekend, as well as some nice-looking leeks. I used the supply of each for multiple dishes thsi week, but this was definitely my favorite. This is the kind of dish you'll want to frequently star in your dinner rotation because it's so simple and down-home delicious. And the leftovers...you'll likely be the source of some major office envy.
One-Pot Chicken with Green Beans, Mushrooms & Leeks
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 30-45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. mushrooms, rinsed/sliced/dried
2 leeks, rinsed & sliced (you could substitute onions if you that's easier to find)
2 c. green beans, cut in half with ends removed
dry vermouth or dry white wine for deglazing
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. smooth mustard (brown or Dijon are fine)
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar (optional, or just use more balsamic)
1 tsp. honey
salt/pepper, to taste
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare all vegetables as noted above. Make glaze by mixing 2 tbsp of olive with the rest of the ingredients following. Adjust to suit your tastes. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot than can be used on the stove and in the oven. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Once oil is shimmering hot, add chicken and brown on both sides (a couple minutes on each side should do the trick—avoid moving chicken around, patiently let it brown). Once browned, remove from pan and set on a plate. Place in microwave to stay warm while preparing other ingredients.
3. Add mushrooms and leeks to hot pan and saute until mushrooms and leeks start to turn golden. Add in green beans and mix well. Once the beans start to brown and there is some sticking of ingredients to the pot, deglaze with vermouth or wine, using only enough to scrape up the brown bits, but not so much that it becomes soupy.
4. Remove chicken from microwave and set into pot, nestling in with the green beans, mushrooms and leeks. Pour glaze over the contents of the pot, stirring slightly. Cover pot, bake for about 15 minutes. Remove lid and turn heat up to 425. Let bake uncovered for about 5 minutes more, or until chicken is cooked through.
