Chicken Breasts in Caper Cream Sauce

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

Directions
1. Mix together lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, dill weed together in a small bowl.
2. Sprinkle chicken with lemon juice. Season chicken with the seasoning mixture, turning to cover both sides. Allow to marinate while making other preparations.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place breasts in skillet, and increase heat to medium-high. Turn chicken frequently, until brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until breasts are cooked through. Remove chicken to a warm serving platter, and cover with foil.
4. Deglaze the skillet with the wine. Return skillet to stove, and increase heat to high. Whisk in whipping cream, whisking continuously until reduced to sauce consistency, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in capers. Pour sauce over chicken, and serve.

Yum! I made a healthier version by using olive oil instead of butter, and using some fat-free half-in-half because I had it. I used about a pound of tenderloins instead of breasts that I had on hand and served over brown rice with a side of steamed broccoli. The rice is great because it absorbs the sauce. The sauce looked a little curdish and weird (maybe because of the half-in-half?) but it still tasted great. The original recipe did not call for wine and I cut back on the salt since capers are salty anyway. I had extra seasoning mixture leftover.

Slow Cooker Rosemary and Red Pepper Chicken

Valentine's Dinner 2011! Good slow cooker recipes are hard to come by, right? Here is my most recent creation, including the multitude of changes I made as suggested by various reviewers.

Ingredients
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces turkey Italian sausages, casings removed
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken tenderloins
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup broth
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup marinara sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons cold water
salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1.In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine onion, bell pepper, garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Brown, drain, and crumble sausages over onion mixture. Rinse chicken and pat dry; arrange in a single layer over sausage. Sprinkle with pepper. Cover with tomatoes. Pour in wine, broth, and marinara. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 5 to 7 hours, or until chicken is tender and cooked through when pierced.
2.Transfer chicken to a warm, deep platter, and cover to keep warm.
3.In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water. Stir into cooking liquid in slow cooker. Increase heat to High, and cover. Cook, stirring 2 to 3 times, until sauce is thickened (about 10 more minutes). Season to taste with salt. Spoon sauce over chicken, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve over pasta.

We really liked this. The main thing I would suggest is more of the cornstarch mixture. I did not drain my tomatoes, and the sauce was really more liquid than I would have liked. Maybe eliminate the broth? I used vegetable broth because I had some open but I'm sure chicken would be good as well. I have to say, it looks a little fancy when you serve it up! ;)