Chicken Breasts with Pancetta Cream and Peas

From My Carolina Kitchen

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 small garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 ½ ounces pancetta or bacon, chopped

4 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup dry white wine

1 cup unsalted chicken stock

2 tablespoons mascarpone or cream cheese – I used low fat cream cheese

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons water

1 cup frozen green peas, thawed (unthawed worked fine)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove garlic from pan using a slotted spoon, and then set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add pancetta and sauté 4 minutes or until crisp. Remove pancetta from pan using a slotted spoon and reserve.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and sauté 4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan. Add wine; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until the liquid almost evaporates (about 3 minutes). Return chicken to pan. Add stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 6 – 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.

Add mascarpone or cream cheese to pan and stir with a whisk until smooth. Combine water and flour, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pan. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened and creamy. Stir in reserved pancetta, garlic, and peas. Cook 1 minute. Serve sauce over chicken.

Adapted from Cooking Light’s The Weeknight Chicken Book – serves 4

This delicious recipe brought to you by My Carolina Kitchen