Chicken Sybil

The Multiple Personality Chicken
& My Signature Chicken Recipe

We all remember the book Sybil, right? I call this recipe "Chicken Sybil" because it's the "multiple personality" chicken, made in so very many different ways, all wonderful. It's so easy to make in a single skillet, the chicken turns out moist and juicy in the center, slightly crispy at the edges. The sauce is so variable, it starts with a creamy-mustard sauce then adds on-hand ingredients. I think you'll love Chicken Sybil, it's the "one way" I make chicken again and again, yet it never turns out the same twice.

Whole Food, Fresh & Flexible. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Mere Minutes to the Table. Another Quick Supper, a Kitchen Parade Specialty. Hearty & Filling. Weight Watchers Friendly. Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free. High Protein. So Many Rave Reviews.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

BEST RECIPES

• Chicken Sybil Made the List!
• Best Recipes of 2007

SO MANY COMPLIMENTS!

• "This sounds silly ... but ... [this recipe] changed my life!!" ~ Angela
• "Chicken Sybil is pure genius." ~ Roberta
• "I loved Chicken Sybil." ~ Colleen
• "... absolutely delicious, elegant, and so easy." ~ Barbara
• "This is my husband's new fave." ~ Cathy
• "... to die for..." ~ Barbara
• "My husband ... is so excited every time I make it." ~ Dee
• "... such a nice dinner. Delicious, company worthy sauce." ~ Julie
• "It was delicious!" ~ LindaRuthC
• "... tonight I made it with flounder. T'was wonderful!" ~ Ann

Shoes in Our Closet vs Books On Our Shelves

Can a closet breed shoes at a rate challenging gravid guppies?

(Y-chromosomed readers may want to skip straight to the recipe. This first bit requires X chromosomes for full comprehension.)

Think pumps and sling-backs and slides and mules and slip-ons and peep toes and lace-ups and ankle straps and monk straps along with flats, loafers, oxfords, kilties, tassels that sit beside ballerina shoes, Mary Janes and moccasins and high heels, tippy-toe heels, strappy heels, stilettos and kitten heels, dancing shoes, airport-friendly shoes, Saturday-morning errand shoes and clogs and crocs and platforms and wedges and espadrilles and that’s before the racks of thongs and sandals and flip flops, ankle boots, snowboots, dressboots, cowboy boots, steel toes and sneakers, high tops, boat shoes, golf shoes, running shoes, walking shoes, hiking boots and beach shoes.

And lest we forget, the comfy house slipper. Whew. Soooo many shoes!

What does it say that we women recognize so many shoe designs, even without owning a pair? Can we list as many authors, composers or poets?

What’s so important about shoes that our brains make room for a veritable shoe catalog?

Chicken Sybil: The Comfortable, Everyday Slip On

So goes Chicken Sybil, the quick supper with multiple personalities and a variation for every occasion. It may be the most flexible, easy and delicious chicken supper, ever.

It's especially useful for small households, that's why it's the featured recipe in my special recipe collection called Cooking for One or Two. All the recipes in this collection either scale easily for one or two ~or~ use meal prep for "planned overs" to eat throughout the week.

One summer, I taught a cooking class where each of us cooked our own skillets of Chicken Sybil with a variety of ingredients. Favorite Add-In's and Sauce Add-In's included sun-dried tomatoes, frozen peas, fresh mushrooms, black bean sauce and fresh basil, also garlic and rhubarb jam.

What's In Chicken Sybil? What's On Hand?!

In all my recipes and most well-written recipes, every ingredient serves a purpose. Each one matters. Each one contributes to the overall dish. What makes Chicken Sybil so special is that its ingredients are so variable, that's how it becomes the chicken with a "multiple personality". Here are the basics plus lots of ideas. But! Let the ideas guide not dictate. Check your fridge, your pantry and think how they might combine here.

• THE CHICKEN Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts here but do take time to pound them to an even thickness, this makes it easier to cook the breasts clear through without overcooking them. This means the chicken turns out moist and tender, so so good!
• (OPTIONAL) SAUCE ADD-IN's Check the fridge for small amounts of one or two ingredients that will add texture and flavor, ones that will benefit from a little cooking or warming up. Some ideas: a handful of capers, sliced mushrooms, diced tomato, chopped green onion, frozen peas, cooked bacon. You can see that all these would add texture, color and flavor to the sauce but yes, they're optional.
• THE BASE SAUCE has just 3 ingredients: chicken stock; something milky like cream or sour cream or yogurt; a good measure of a good mustard like Dijon or practically any mustard besides that basic ballpark yellow mustard and honestly? it'd work too.
• THE SAUCE ADD-IN's I know, sorry, more add-ins. :-) But these aren't optional, they'll convert a plain sauce into something entirely unexpected. Again, check your fridge for small amounts, just two tablespoons of something you've got on hand that'll punch up the sauce's flavor. Here are some ideas: orange juice concentrate (my favorite); maple syrup, marmalade, tomato paste, salsa (pictured), and barbecue sauce.

How to Make Chicken Sybil

The detailed recipe is written in traditional recipe form below but here are the highlights in four easy steps. You can definitely do this!

• COOK THE CHICKEN Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness, then season and brown on both sides in a little butter. Be sure to cook the chicken almost clear through, it will get some additional heat but not much. Move the chicken onto dinner plates but cover with foil to keep it hot and to finish reaching the safe internal temperature for chicken.
• START THE SAUCE with OPTIONAL SAUCE ADD-IN's Start the sauce with any ingredients that need a little cooking or heating, just add one or two to the skillet and cook a bit. Pick ingredients that need only a brief cook, now's not the time to be cooking rice, say.
• FINISH THE SAUCE with the BASE SAUCE & SAUCE ADD IN's Combine these, then add to the skillet to heat up and simmer for a minute or two, just enough to thicken.
• POUR THE SAUCE over the chicken breasts and yes, finally, serve!

So Get Creative!

Be creative with the variations. I make Chicken Sybil once or twice a month, it's never the same twice, just by scrounging in the fridge beforehand, pairing things up.

And You?

What variations have you tried? Leave a comment to inspire others!

Bookmark! PIN! Share!

How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this simple, inventive chicken recipe hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...

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QUICK SUPPER: CHICKEN SYBIL

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time-to-table: 20 minutes
Serves 4 (easily adjusts to 1 or 2 servings)

CHICKEN
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about ¼ pound each
• Salt & pepper

OPTIONAL ADD-IN's
• Handful of capers, sliced mushrooms, diced tomato, green onion, frozen peas, cooked bacon or your choice

THE BASE SAUCE
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cream or sour cream or fat-free half ‘n’ half
• 2 tablespoons good mustard

SAUCE ADD-IN's
• 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate (my favorite) or maple syrup, marmalade, tomato paste, salsa (pictured), barbecue sauce or your choice

CHICKEN Melt the butter in a large skillet on MEDIUM HIGH. (You may need two skillets to cook four servings at once.)

Between two sheets of waxed paper, pound the chicken breasts with a rolling pin until about a half-inch thick.

Season one side with salt and pepper, transfer to the skillet seasoned-side down (the meat should sizzle), then season the top side. Reduce the heat to MEDIUM, cook for 4 minutes on one side, then 3 – 4 minutes on the other side; the juices should run clear or an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast should read 160F/70C.

Transfer the fully cooked meat to warm dinner plates and cover with foil where it'll finish coming up to safe eating temperature, that's 165F/75C.

OPTIONAL ADD-IN's Add the add-in ingredients (if any) to the skillet and stir 1 – 2 minutes until warm.

THE BASE SAUCE + SAUCE ADD-IN'S In a small bowl, stir together the Base Sauce ingredients and the Sauce Add-In's, whisk these into the hot skillet, stirring to incorporate the bits of chicken left in the pan. Let the sauce thicken slightly, then pour it over the cooked chicken breasts.

Serve and enjoy!

ALANNA’S TIPS: Individually frozen chicken breasts are a supper-saver at five o’clock. Just submerse the packages in cold water – yes, cold, it’s counter-intuitive but it works – for 30 minutes. How does chicken safely cook so quickly? It's because the meat is pounded quite thin. Because "quite thin" is imprecise, the first time you make this, after the specified cooking times, slit into the thickest part of the breast with the tip of a sharp knife and spread a bit. If the center is still pink, cook awhile longer. Or if you use a digital thermometer (affiliate link), cook the chicken until it reaches the safe internal temperature of 160F/70C. My Disclosure Promise Chicken Sybil cooks fast! That means it's wise to have your side dishes ready to go before starting. And perhaps a glass of wine and a pat on the back for putting supper on the table with such ease?!

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2007/01/chicken-sybil.php .

NUTRITION INFORMATION (Exact nutrition will vary based on your own add-in choices but this is a good start.) Per Serving, without add-in's: 211 Calories; 9g Tot Fat; 6g Sat Fat; 94mg Cholesterol; 188mg Sodium; 1g Carb; 0g Fiber; 0g Sugar; 27g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 5 & PointsPlus 5 & SmartPoints 5 & Freestyle 4 & myWW green 5 & blue 4 & purple 4 & future WW points

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Seasonal Cooking: Mid Winter Across the Years

Finnish Whole-Wheat Flatbread Cashew Chicken Curry Chicken Sybil Chicken Nachos with Homemade Pickled Jalapeño Rings Quick Jalapeño Pickles Mashed Cauliflower (Low-Carb Mashed "Potatoes") Beef Bourguignon (French Beef Stew) Savory Cornbread Muffins Easy Margarita Chicken How to Poach a Perfect Egg Cast Iron Meatloaf Warm Baked Feta & Tomatoes with Shrimp

This Week, Elsewhere

~ Yummy Lunch Cake ~
~ Pasta with Fresh Garbanzo Beans, Olives & Bacon ~
~ Browned Cabbage with Mustard & Horseradish ~
~ more Recent Recipes ~
A Veggie Venture

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More Quick 'n' Easy Chicken Recipes

more
~ chicken recipes ~

• THE RECIPE Honey Mustard Chicken Just five ingredients, fast and simple.
• ANOTHER TAKE Baked Chicken with Herb-Roasted Potatoes Simple, satisfying supper.

• THE RECIPE Easy Margarita Chicken A Quick Supper from a surprising source.
• ANOTHER TAKE Italian Lemon Chicken Italian-style baked chicken, lemon-y and garlick-y.

• THE RECIPE Rainbow Chicken Chicken (no browning required) and vegetables baked in the oven.
• ANOTHER TAKE One-Pot Chicken with Beans & Vegetables A healthy stew, packed with cooked beans and root vegetables.

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More "Concept" Recipes to Make Again and Again,
One Recipe, Many Variations

• THE RECIPE Perfect Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins So healthy! So adaptable! Stays fresh for days too.
• ANOTHER TAKE Gingerbread Muffins Low-fat and low-calorie molasses-y muffins with a moist and delicate crumb.

• MASTER RECIPE How to Make Homemade Vegetable Soup Never the same twice.
• ANOTHER TAKE Weight Watchers Zero Points Garden Vegetable Soup Famous for taste, famous for results.

• THE RECIPE Winter Stew A master recipe, cook with confidence, no recipe required.
• ANOTHER TAKE Beef & Mushroom Stew On the table and flavorful within an hour.

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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