Dinner Party - Idea for Sauce for Chicken Dish

organic_wanabe

I am having friends over for dinner on Saturday evening but I am not going to have much time to do preparation as my DS leaves for a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition at 3.30 pm that day. No doubt it will follow a similar pattern to that of earlier years where we are rushing to get everything packed at the last minute - his fault, not mine as he is supposed to do it but hates thinking about it. Mind you, so would I. The thought of carrying more than my body-weight on my back for 4 days treking up hills would have me demented! Just thinking of him doing it is bad enough,

I have my starter all planned and my dessert. However, I'm stumped for the main course. I had planned to have half-racks of lamb, which are already bought and in the freezer. But I tried the recipe today and thought it was too fiddly. So now I am thinking of chicken breasts stuffed with something and then wrapped in parma ham. I would usually do a cream cheese filling mixed with a little pesto, or ham & cheese, or some such thing. However, I want to serve lovely creamy mash and so I need a stuffed chicken dish which has a tasty sauce - preferably an easy one. Mushrooms are out as one of my guests can't stand them.

I would appreciate a few suggestions.

julieq

Easy, creme fraiche and tarragon, it's lovely.

Personally I'd pan fry the chicken breasts in a little butter, then pour the creme fraiche with a few leaves of chopped tarragon and deglaze the pan with it essentially, then just reduce a bit until unctuous.

sandy2_2

As the chicken is whitish colour and so is the mash, I´d go for some colourful sauce, probably tomato based

suseb_99

this is a tasty recipe and quite handy as well, I think it's called Normandy chicken.
if you brown the chicken, then in the pan fry some chopped onions & garlic,(salt & pepper ) then add some dry cider and either simmer on the hob or put in a low oven til cooked.
just before serving add some chopped parsley and cream...
obviously you could adapt this to your taste.. add mushroom or peppers etc..
Its really really yummy. and as you don't have to stand over it you can spend more time with your guests.