Chicken in Cabernet

Forget Glamour's Engagement Chicken. This is the first thing I ever cooked for Mr. Numbers. It looks impressive, but is super easy. It could be Dupe Your Man Chicken.

1/2 lb. bacon, cut into small pieces (as with any recipe I post, feel free to like double the bacon -- you can never have enough bacon!)
3-4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders
1/2 lbs. small mushrooms (optional)
1 can beef broth
1 c. Cabernet sauvignon (plus a splash or two extra for fun, but not too much, or the sauce won't turn out)
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. water
1 lb. onions, cut into quarters
1 box pasta of your choice (my personal fave is an angel hair -- thinner pastas work best)

In a dutch oven (or any big pot with a lid -- whatever you would use for soups or stews will work) over medium heat, cook bacon pieces until very crisp. Remove from pot and set aside. Eat a few, since you made extra bacon because bacon is awesome. Add chicken and onions to the bacon fat and cook until browned on all sides, maybe 15 or so minutes.

Remove chicken and onions from pot. Add mushrooms and brown, then remove from pot. Pour the beef broth into the pot and boil until liquid is reduced to one cup. By the way, can anyone really tell this from eyeballing it in a pot? Doubtful. I usually let it go for maybe 3 minutes or so.

While you are doing all of this, enjoy at least one glass of the Cabernet. Because you are worth it.

Stir in wine and mustard. Blend well. Add chicken, bacon, mushrooms and onions. Cook covered on medium-low heat until chicken is done -- maybe 15 or so minutes depending how long it browned and the size of the tenders.

Remove everything to a serving dish and keep covered. Degrease pot if necessary. Blend cornstarch and water in sauce, stirring until thickened. Serve chicken over pasta on large, shallow platter, and cover with sauce.