Chicken Breast Supreme

12 half boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 c flour

2.5 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1/4 c butter

2 tsp cornstarch

1.5 c half and half

1/4 c sherry

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 c swiss cheese grated

.5 c parsley, chopped

Mix flour, salt, and paprika in a bowl. Coat chicken in flour mixture. (Mom finds that it actually requires much more of the flour mixture than the recipe calls for.) Brown chicken in butter (again, usually requiring more butter than called for). Add a 1/4 c water and sherry and simmer 30 minutes covered. (Mom never uses the water: just enough sherry - again, more than called for - to keep the bottom of the pan moist so the chicken doesn't dry out or get overly brown.) Remove chicken from pan and arrange in 9x13 freezer and oven dish. Mix cornstarch in 1/4 c cream, stir into drippings. Cook over low heat, stirring. Gradually stir in remaining cream, zest (which mom has never used but it would be extra lemony if you did), and lemon juice. Cook until thick. Pour over chicken and freeze. Defrost. Bake, covered, 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, bake a few minutes more to melt cheese. Garnish with parsley (Mom has never used the parsley but thinks it's a good idea to make the dish more attractive).

Serves 12

Obviously you can leave out the freezing part if you want to eat it immediately, but it's good to know that this makes a great freezer dish. When making it you could make two pans, one for dinner that night and one to freeze for a future date. Yum. I'm making it tonight and my tummy is rumbling just thinking about it.