Chicken with Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Gravy

I developed this recipe by trying to figure out what to do with a box of dry onion soup mix that I bought, for some reason, when we first got into Arkansas.  There is really no reason why I should have bought it.  I try to avoid using powdered mixes when I feel like I can achieve the flavor on my own using natural ingredients.  So for this recipe, if you want to use this mix for your French onion soup that isn't full of artificial ingredients or extremely high in sodium, I strongly encourage it!

The first thing you need to do is dissolve the onion soup mix in 2 cups of hot water.  Let it sit until needed.  Take 3-4 chicken breast halves and brown the outside in as little oil as you can get away with.  At this point, the chicken will not be cooked through but remove it anyway and set aside.

With about another tablespoon of oil and add 1/4 cup of chopped onion and 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms.  Cook until the onions have softened and the mushrooms have started to brown and caramelize.

Carefully add the dissolved soup mixture to the pan, holding back some of the dry onions with a spoon.  Bring the soup back up to a high simmer.  Continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes to reduce a little.  Add the chicken and turn down to Medium.  Once there is less of a simmer, cover and let the chicken cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked, stirring occasionally and turning chicken halfway through.

Remove the chicken once again and add 1/2 cup of milk.  Bring the pan back up to a simmer, careful to avoid boiling because that will cause the milk to curdle. Let it simmer and reduce some more for a couple minutes.(Because I have a child who insists on hanging on my legs and whining anytime I'm in the kitchen, my came to a rolling boil before I got to it...  Good thing my husband doesn't know the difference!)  Remove from heat and stir in 1/4-1/2cup of sour cream.  This is needed to mellow out the strong onion soup mix so use as much as you need.  Add the chicken back in again and let it rest for about 5 minutes to thicken.

I served my chicken with mashed potatoes and ladled some gravy over both.  Rice instead of potatoes would also go well with this dish.

Notes:

Definitely taste the sauce to make sure it isn't too strong for your taste.  Add more sour cream if it is too strong.  

Because I didn't add any thickeners this gravy is pretty thin.  If you prefer a thicker gravy you can thicken the same you would thicken any other gravy.  

If you choose to make your own dry onion mix, you may need to salt the chicken and other as you go as it will probably be pretty mild.

Recipe:

• 1 dry French onion soup mix packet (or 2-3 T. of your own mix)
• 2 cups hot water
• 3-4 chicken breast halves
• oil as needed
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup of milk

1. Dissolve the onion soup mix in 2 cups of hot water.  Let it sit until needed.  
2. Take the chicken breast halves and brown the outside in as little oil as you can get away with.  Remove it and set aside.
3. Add more oil to the pan if needed.   Add chopped onion and sliced mushrooms.  Cook until the onions have softened and the mushrooms have started to brown and caramelize.
4. Carefully add the dissolved soup mixture to the pan, holding back some of the dry onions with a spoon.  Bring the soup back up to a high simmer.  Continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes to reduce a little.  Add the chicken and turn down to Medium.  Cover and let the chicken cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked, stirring occasionally and turning chicken halfway through.
5. Remove the chicken once again and add the milk.  Bring the pan back up to a simmer. Let it simmer and reduce for a couple minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in 1/4-1/2cup of sour cream.  Add the chicken back in again and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
6. Serve with potatoes or rice.