FOFF Balsamic Chicken or Tofu

First of all, hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving had a WONDERFUL day! Ted and I enjoyed our day with Pam and Heman in sunny, warm Florida. It sure will be tough going back to the 20 degree temperatures in New York.

Second, after you have used up all your left overs in various left over recipes, you will want to try this delicious dish from Fusion of Food and Friends.

I love balsamic vinegar. In fact, there is nothing fancy about my salads except a good quality balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. I was looking forward to the burst of balsamic from this recipe but to my surprise, it wasn’t as strong as I thought.

A perfect blend of balsamic, earthy juices from the mushrooms, and a hint of thyme. This recipe by Carla Vavala from her book Fusion of Food and Friends is perfect for our love of balsamic and, of course, easy meals.

Chicken

Tofu

4 boneless chicken breasts or 14 oz of Extra Firm tofu, drained and pressed to dry.
salt and pepper
1 lb fresh sliced mushrooms
2 TBS olive oil
8 cloves garlic
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar or less if you don’t appreciate that tangy, lip biting sensation of a good vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable broth (chicken broth if you are using chicken)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 TBS butter (or use olive oil)

Pound chicken flat or cut tofu into equal 1/2 inch slices. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare mushrooms if not already sliced.

Heat oil in pan over medium high heat and saute the chicken or tofu for 5 minutes per side. It should be nice and brown on both sides.

Add garlic to pan. Turn chicken/tofu over and add the mushrooms. Cook 3 minutes then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover and cook over medium low for 10 minutes.

Uncover and transfer chicken / tofu to platter. Cover to keep warm. *I left the tofu in the pan to cook as the sauce reduced. This made the tofu a bit more firm.

Continue to simmer the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for 5- 7 minutes. Stir in butter or oil and remove bay leaf. Pour sauce over chicken/ tofu and serve.

Chicken