"Bei mir bist du schoen

Even if my ex-sorority is eating my friend inside-out and I didn't get the CTBUH internship, I still have the joy of mustard lemon black pepper caper creme chicken with mac and cheese.  In some ways I suppose it is a good thing I have such a long commute; it stops me from squandering all my time on cooking and eating.

Just last night, on a whim I decided to try to recreate Buca di Beppo's amazing lemon creme chicken.  I had lemon, capers, milk, and chicken.  ...but then I spied the mustard, and the whole dish changed.  I remembered a green peppercorn creme porkchop dish a Hawaii Aunty made me all the time.  I decided to incorporate the two dishes together.  

I minced two cloves of garlic and threw them into a pan with a generous amount of butter.  I let the butter sit and melt whilst I prepared the chicken.  I had two boneless chicken thighs which I defattened and cut into strips.  I seasoned them generously in black pepper and a little bit of salt (because capers are salty).  Then I doused them in mustard with a bit of lemon and mixed them thoroughly.  I sprinkled them with oregano and rosemary and a bit more black pepper because pepper and mustard go together uncommonly well.  

I upped the pan's heat till the butter was bubbling and started laying the chicken strips in.  I really only browned them.  I had to cook in batches because of a small pan.  When all the chicken was nicely seared, I poured in milk to deglaze.  I threw all the chicken pieces in, some capers, and an itty bitty bit more lemon juice.  Be careful how much lemon you put in because unless you do it right, the lemon and milk will interact to make a curd, which is not what you're going for.  I threw in a few whole black peppercorns and let the whole thing simmer till the sauce became thick.

Towards the end of the simmering period, I became inspired by my dried shiitake mushrooms, so I threw a handful in with a tiny bit more milk to keep them submerged.  I kept simmering till the mushrooms were soft and the flavor became integrated in the sauce.   

The verdict of this experiment?  Delicious!  I'd say it's a success, something that I'd definitely repeat again.  My only problem was that I made this to eat for lunch during the week and ended up eating a third of it right after I made it--"tasting" it.  I suppose I shall have to make it again.