Chicken with dairy-free creamy mushroom sauce recipe

A simple chicken breast is transformed with this deliciously ‘creamy’ dairy-free mushroom sauce. There are several dairy-free alternatives to cream available in most major supermarkets and health food shops – either oat based or soya based, just use the one you prefer. The sauce is quite rich so we’ve just served this dish with a selection of vegetables but you can add potatoes, rice or pasta if you’ve got hungry mouths to feed. Make the sauce with chicken stock for a quick mid week meal or dress it up by adding white wine for a weekend treat – either way it’s delicious.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless chicken breast fillets
• 4 slices lemon
• 100ml dry white wine or chicken stock
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1 leek, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 250ml oat or soya alternative to cream
• Mixed vegetables such as cauliflower, courgettes and broccoli, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Fan 170°C/Gas Mark 5. Place the chicken breasts on a large piece of foil and place on a shallow baking tray. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, place a lemon slice on the top of each piece of chicken and drizzle over 4tbsp of the wine or stock. Scrunch up the foil over the chicken to make a parcel and bake in the oven for 20-25 mins until the chicken is cooked through.
2. While the chicken is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the leek, garlic and mushrooms and fry for 5 mins until tender. Pour in the cream alternative and the remaining wine. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and heat until hot but not boiling.
3. When the chicken is cooked, tip the juices from the foil parcel into the sauce and heat through. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with mixed vegetables.