Baked Breast of Chicken Excelsior
Submitted by macotter
Baked chicken Excelsior bastes chicken breasts in lemon-paprika butter, then bathes them in a creamy sour cream, sherry, and mushroom sauce for the last stretch in the oven. A retro, dinner-party-worthy chicken with a silky finish.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
45 minREADY
1 hrsA throwback dinner-party chicken, the kind that feels dressed up but takes very little doing. The chicken breast is brushed with a lemon, paprika, and butter mixture, then baked under a foil tent so it stays juicy and gently steams to tenderness.
Tenting matters here. Covering the chicken traps moisture so lean breast meat doesn’t dry out during the bake, and basting now and then keeps the surface glossy and flavorful.
The real character arrives in the final fifteen minutes, when a sauce of sour cream, sherry, and mushrooms is poured over the top. As it bakes, it loosens and melds with the pan juices into a creamy, tangy, faintly boozy gravy.
Adding the sour cream sauce only at the end is intentional; it warms through without breaking or curdling the way it might over a long bake.
Spoon it all over rice, egg noodles, or mashed potatoes to catch that mushroom-sherry sauce.
Chef Tips
- Keep the chicken tented with foil and baste occasionally so the lean breast meat stays moist.
- Add the sour cream sauce only for the last 15 minutes so the dairy warms through without curdling.
- Slice the mushrooms thin so they soften and flavor the sauce in the short final bake.
Variations
- Use chicken broth in place of sherry for an alcohol-free version.
- Stir a little Dijon or fresh thyme into the sauce for more depth.
- Use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for a lighter, tangier sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375℉ (190℃). Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt to taste.
Mix together melted margarine or butter, paprika and lemon juice. Brush chicken well with butter mixture and place in shallow baking pan.
Bake, tented with foil, about 30 minutes or until tender, brushing with remaining butter mixture occasionally to keep from drying.
In a bowl, blend together sour cream, sherry or broth, mushrooms, and pepper. Pour over chicken for last 15 minutes.
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