Chicken with Balsamic, Mushroom cream sauce

I'll be honest, I have never stepped out on a limb and come up with an original recipe.  I am strictly from the tried and true recipes, changing a few minor things as I go along.  When I received my latest recipe for the Recipe Swap, I have to admit that I didn't think it sounded like the ingredients went together in my mind.  I love balsamic vinegar, but adding that to cream just sounded like it wouldn't work.

I read Carrie's blog every time she has a new post though, so I figured if she described the dish as "A-M-A-Z-I-N-G", that I would have to trust that everything would work out.  Because being on a cooking journey, you learn that sometimes leaving your comfort zone pays off and you get to eat something great.

Chicken with a Balsamic, Mushroom Cream Sauce
slightly adapted from Carrie's Sweet Life
Ingredients
2 teaspoons of olive oil
2 chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons of butter
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 package baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups of cream

Directions
1) Warm large pan with olive oil. Salt and Pepper chicken breasts both sides, put into olive oil and brown on both sides until cooked through.
2) Once chicken is done set aside on a plate covering with foil to keep warm or in a very low temperature oven in an ovenproof dish.
3) Drain oil from the pan, but leaving what is “stuck” to the bottom, add butter and let melt.
4) Once melted add garlic, mushrooms, and green pepper. Salt and pepper to your liking, let simmer for a 2-3 minutes then add balsamic vinegar. Cook until desired tenderness.
5) Pour in heavy cream and bring to a boil, boil for 3-5. Add chicken breasts and coat in sauce cook until desired thickness. Serve over pasta of your choice.

I dipped my finger in the sauce while it was on the stove to taste it, and when I tasted it, I couldn't believe how well the balsamic vinegar went with the cream sauce.  The only problem I had with this dish is how long our chicken took to cook on the stovetop.  I would suggest pounding the chicken, or butterflying it like Carrie did, so that it will cook faster.

I put a pepper in with the mushrooms, just because I had an extra one, but the dish wouldn't be any less awesome without the pepper.  I don't think the macaroni noodles worked because they were sliding everywhere, but it was the pasta I had at my house.  I think we'll definitely make this again, without the hesitation of whether or not the ingredients go together. :)

To see all the other great pasta posts, visit A Taste of Home Cooking.