Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce and Killer Kale Salad

If you are looking for a ridiculously easy, yet impressive dish to serve to your friends this weekend stop right here. This chicken is like something out of a gourmet restaurant, and it is brainless to make. It is not exactly healthy, however, but a little cream never hurt anyone. Life is short, enjoy your food.  It is a rich dish so it doesn't require a hefty side, which will also save you time. A salad is a perfect accompaniment, and I made a kale salad for the second night in a row to go with it. I pinned this from my friend Steph's board, and since it was titled "Rachel's Kale Salad" I assumed it was the recipe of our friend Rachel. I texted her to check, and it's not. So, to whoever the Mystery Rachel is, I love you for your salad. I will be making until I get tired of kale, which is probably never going to happen.

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce

-from pioneerwoman.com

-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

-2 T. butter

-2 T. olive oil

-1 T. coarse grain mustard

-1 T. Dijon mustard

-3 cloves garlic, minced

-1/4-1/2 cup chicken broth

-1 cup white wine (something you would drink. I had an open bottle of sauvignon blanc)

-1/2 cup heavy cream

-salt/pepper

Cut the chicken in half so that you have 2 thin cutlets out of each breast (8 pieces total), sprinkle with salt/pepper. Heat the butter and oil over medium heat, an cook the chicken breasts until almost done. I needed to do this in 2 batches so as not to crowd the pan and prevent browning. Remove the chicken to a plate and add the garlic, stirring for about 30 seconds. Carefully pour in the wine and let bubble up as you scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. That's where all the good stuff is. Did you know it's called 'the fond'? Cook the wine until it's reduced by half then add the mustard and stir well to combine. Pour in cream and broth. Nestle the chicken back in the pan (all of it, cramming is OK at this point) and cook for a few minutes until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through. Serve the chicken (2 cutlets per person) with salad and spoon the sauce over the top. Divine!

Mystery Rachel's Kale Salad

-I messed with some of the ingredient proportions. Thank you for pinning this, Steph!

This is similar to the other kale salad I adore, except it seems a bit more versatile. The fact that it includes avocado seals the deal for me. Kale AND avocado in one place is almost more than I can handle.

• 1 large bunch of kale, washed, dried, removed from stems and chopped
• 1 avocado
• 3 T lemon juice (from a real lemon, please)
• 3 T olive oil
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 T honey

Place kale in large bowl and sprinkle with salt, 1 T lemon juice, and 1 T olive oil. Massage for a few minutes, or until it darkens slightly and wilts a bit. Combine the rest of lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and some black pepper in a small bowl, and toss with the kale (heads up--I think this is too much dressing, so use about half. I was able to get 2 salads out of it). Mash the avocado and add it to the salad, tossing until it coats the kale. At this point you can add whatever your heart desires. I did sunflower seeds and sliced strawberries, but any nuts, dried fruit, apples, feta, would be awesome. Truthfully, however, it is fantastic as it is in it's pure glory. I'm craving it right now as I type...tempting to try it out as breakfast food. Make it!