Now that I have some wine left over from the last recipe, I wanted to put it to good use. I am also busy this week with laying floors and needed something simple to make. The floors are coming along slowly but surely. We will soon have only one room left to do, and that won’t be completed until we are done with needing a staging area for construction materials. We are getting close. As soon as the downstairs kitchen, my room and bathroom are done I can consider moving down there.

The recipe for this week, Wine-Braised Chicken with Pearl Onions, comes from Taste of Home. This is a very simple recipe with chicken and a lovely sauce. The two problems I see right off the bat are the canned soup and lack of vegetables. As I am sure most are aware of how unhealthy canned soup is. I can make a better sauce without dairy and the loads of sodium. Adding the vegetables is simple. It looks like some green vegetables will suit this recipe.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I swapped out canned condensed chicken soup with a homemade version to reduce the fat and sodium.
• I increased the servings from 4 to 10 to reduce the calories and sodium.
• I added red bell pepper to increase the vitamin C.
• I added carrot to increase the vitamin A.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Wine-Braised Chicken with Pearl Onions

Serves 10

For the cream of chicken soup

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dairy free half and half
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/3 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the braise

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 package (14.4 ounces) pearl onions, thawed
• 5 red bell peppers, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 cup brown rice

1. Temper the milk by microwaving it for 45 seconds. This prevents curdling but also prevents lumps from forming when it’s added. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Let it fully melt and wait until it starts to foam, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken broth and whisk well.
4. Add the warm milk, and seasonings, whisk continuously.
5. Turn up to medium-high heat. Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the pot and continue to whisk until it begins to get very thick. Immediately remove from heat. Set aside.
6. Add the rice to two cups of water to a pot. Bring to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 45 minutes.
7. Add the chicken, carrots, bell pepper, soup mixture, wine, seasonings, and onions to an instant pot. Cook on high for 7 minutes and perform a natural release. Shred the chicken.
8. Serve over rice.