Baked Chicken Topped with Sautéed Garlic Mushrooms
Adapted from Julia’s Album’s Recipe (found on Pinterest)
The other night, I had a few friends over for a little Monday night dinner party. I made Neiman Marcus-style popovers (recipe to come), cheesy tomatoes (recipe also to come), this dish, and a liberal serving of apple crisp-stuffed baked apples (recipe also to come).
Yes, it was a bit of a feast.
So, here’s for the first of that series: baked chicken topped with sautéed garlic mushrooms. Yum.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon plus a bit to taste of salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon plus a bit to taste of black pepper, divided
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon of za’atar, divided
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil, divided
- 2 bags (or 1 pound) of sliced shitaki mushrooms
- 2 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 1/4 cup of finely-chopped green onions
Directions
Begin by preheating the oven to 400ºF and spraying a medium-sized baking sheet with cooking spray. Pat each chicken breast dry with paper towels before rubbing the chicken breasts with the 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of za’atar. Place the seasoned chicken breasts on the baking sheet and drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the chicken breasts before placing the baking sheet in the oven.
Allow the chicken to bake for 30 minutes at 400ºF before lowering the heat to 350ºF. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is lightly golden and the juices run clear (instead of pinkish). At this time, remove the baking sheet from the oven and cover the chicken with aluminum foil to retain the heat while sautéing the mushroom topping.
To prepare the mushroom topping, start by placing the remaining olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the olive oil is hot, add the mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the garlic powder, pinch of za’atar, and salt and pepper as your taste dictates to the mushrooms. Stir well to combine the seasonings with the mushrooms and cover the pan with the lid. Lower the heat to low heat and let the mushrooms sit on the stove for about 5 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Remove the lid and sauté for another few minutes, or until the mushrooms are browned and tender. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chopped green onions.
Remove the chicken breasts from underneath the aluminum foil and place each breast on a plate. Drizzle the sautéed mushrooms (and their juices in the pan) over each chicken breast – about 1/2 cup of sautéed mushrooms per chicken breast. Serve warm.