Chicken with White Wine Clam Sauce

one of E's favorite dishes is linguini with clam sauce. i make it for him occasionally as a treat but truthfully, i am always hungry an hour or so later because there just isn't enough protein in it for me.

so why not take the clam sauce, and smother it over chicken breasts? sure, the pasta is wonderful, but this makes for a great, low carb, weeknight meal (i don't know about you, but i like to save my cheat meals for the weekends). while this dish isn't exactly healthy because of the fat content, it is low carb and packed with protein. i didn't even have my intense sweet craving an hour after dinner like i usually do.

oh, and for those of you keeping track, there is only 1 tablespoon of butter, 2 tablespoons of oil, and 1/4 light cream in the whole recipe (serves 4) - so it's really not that bad. most of the sauce comes from the white wine and clam juice. of course i did sprinkle parmesan cheese on top . . . oh well. i served it with a big helping of broccoli, happy??

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Chicken with White Wine Clam Sauce
serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbs unsalted butter
4 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs flour
3/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup light cream
3 - 6 1/2 oz can minced clams, drained, juice reserved
4 tbs shredded parmesan

preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

heat oil in large oven proof skillet. pat chicken breasts dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. add chicken to skillet and sear both sides about 2-3 minutes - until browned. remove from pan and set aside. add butter to skillet and when melted, add shallots and garlic. saute until tender, 3-4 minutes. sprinkle in flour and stir well. cook 1 minute. add white wine and stir well. add light cream and stir being sure there are no clumps. add clam juice a little at a time until desired consistency is reached (i used about 1 cup clam juice), you want the sauce to be thick but it will continue to thicken a bit more. add clams and stir. let simmer for 2 minutes. add chicken back into pan with any juices. spoon sauce over chicken breasts and sprinkle 1 tbs of parmesan on each breast.

bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and chicken is cooked through. spoon a little sauce on each plate and top with chicken breasts. serve immediately.