The Stroganoff That Slayed And Stayed
For when your body says no
Prep time: 10 min | Cooking time: 25 minutes | Total time: 35 minutes | Difficulty: 2/5
This recipe began with a situation that had nothing to do with cooking and everything to do with instinct, attraction, and one very unwelcome early-morning knock on my door.
The full story lives on Substack — this is just the edible part.
Ingredients (serves 4, or 1 person having a day)
Stroganoff
Chicken breast 500 g / 1.1 lb
Fine sea salt 1 ½ tsp
Black pepper generous grind
Plain flour 1 tbsp
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Unsalted butter 40 g / 3 tbsp
Onion 1
Garlic cloves 3
Mushrooms (whatever kind you like) 200 g / 7 oz
Thyme 1 sprig
Smoked paprika 1 tsp
Dijon mustard 2 tsp
Dry white wine 100 ml / ⅓ cup
Chicken stock 250 ml / 1 cup
White miso or onion jam (optional) 1 tsp
Crème fraîche 75 ml / 5 tbsp
Heavy cream 75 ml / 5 tbsp
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Lemon zest ½ tsp
Parsley small handful
Buckwheat
Buckwheat groats 150 g / ¾ cup
Unsalted butter 1 tbsp
Water or light stock 300 ml / 1 ¼ cups
Fine sea salt ½ tsp
Equipment
Large frying pan
Medium saucepan
Small mixing bowl
Microplane or fine grater
Sharp knife, wooden spoon, and some common sense
Method
Season the chicken with salt and black pepper, then toss it with the flour until lightly coated. Let it sit on the counter for 10–15 minutes while you slice the aromatics. This gives the flour time to hydrate and cling — so it doesn’t fall off in the pan and ruin your sauce ambitions.
In a pan, heat the olive oil with half the butter over medium-high. When it’s foamy and smells like it means it, add the chicken in a single layer. Let it brown deeply without poking at it — colour equals flavour. Flip once, brown the second side, and get it out of the pan. It’s not fully cooked yet. That comes later.
Add the rest of the butter. Slide the onion straight in and cook with a pinch of salt until soft, golden, and nearly jammy. Tear in the mushrooms. Let them release their water (they will hiss and look sad), then keep cooking until they start browning properly. No stirring until they’re ready. Grate in the garlic and stir until fragrant.
Add the thyme, paprika, and mustard. Stir to wake everything up. Pour in the wine, scrape the bottom of the pan, and reduce by half — it should smell like someone knows what they’re doing. Add the chicken stock and the miso or onion jam, if using. Slide the chicken (and any resting juices) back in. Simmer 8–10 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce thickens slightly and the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the thyme sprig.
In a small bowl, mix the crème fraîche and cream. Add a spoonful of the sauce from the pan to temper it — this prevents the cream from splitting. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the tempered cream mixture. Add the lemon juice and zest. Taste. Adjust salt.
Toast the buckwheat in a dry pan until nutty and golden — you want to smell it. Add the butter, water or stock, and salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12–15 minutes, or until tender with a slight bite. Let it sit off the heat for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and stir in more butter.
Spoon the buckwheat into bowls. Top with the stroganoff. Finish with chopped parsley and lots of black pepper. Eat warm, with wine, and preferably in someone else’s shirt.
Nutritional Value (estimate, per serving)
Calories: 540 kcal
Protein: 38 g
Fat: 28 g
Carbohydrates: 32 g
See you next week for the food; the drama, as per usual, is on Substack.