CREAMY BRAISED CHICKEN

6 cups water

1/2 lb pearl onions
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp butter
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 1/3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp white whole-wheat flour (or your favorite low-carb flour)
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, quartered

In a Dutch oven or other large saucepan, bring water to a boil; add pearl onions and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; peel and set aside. In the same pan, heat olive oil and saute sliced onion, carrot and celery until tender. Remove the vegetables and set aside.

Add the chicken to the pan and brown on both sides. Remove and keep warm.

Add the broth, parsley, salt, thyme, pepper and bay leaf to the pan. Heat through until cooked down somewhat then add the chicken back into the pan. Place lid on pan and cook on low 5 minutes or until the juices from the chicken run clear. Remove chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.

Combine the flour and milk until smooth and gradually stir into the broth in the pan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until thickened. Return the vegetables to the pan. Remove from the heat, place lid back on and set aside.

In a nonstick skillet, sauté the pearl onions in the butter until tender; remove and set aside. In the same pan, sauté mushrooms until tender. Add the onions and mushrooms to the serving platter with the chicken. Discard the bay leaf from the sauce; spoon sauce over chicken and vegetables.

Yield: 6 servings
Per serving of 1 chicken breast half and 2/3 cup sauce: 273 calories,18 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 31 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges 3 1/2 lean meat, 1 1/2 vegetable, 1 fat

Note: This is my diabetic-friendly version of an old (15-16 years ago) recipe from a Reiman Publications magazine.