.png)
Happy Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception!
Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the solemn dogma defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1854. She is the patroness of the United States of America and this is a holy day of obligation in the United States. Many people confuse the Immaculate Conception to be about Jesus being born without sin. However, this is actually in reference to Mary being born without sin. This Dogma of the faith revealed by God that the Blessed Virgin Mary "in the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin" (Denz.-Schonm, 2083). Mary was granted the gift of her Immaculate Conception because she was chosen to be the Mother of God. She received the original grace of purity and the final state of the blessed life that we hope to have one day through accepting and living by God's grace. In other words, Mary's Immaculate Conception shows us the perfect and pure relationship that God desires and has in store for us.
In honor of the Blessed Mother's purity and sinlessness, we make an all white dinner and because it's a solemnity I do a full table setting. I like to make treats and special dinners on feast days but on solemnities I will do a more elevated table setting to show in our home that this is one of the highest ranking of liturgical days.
The Menu
1. White chicken breast 2. White wine sauce 3. White rice 4. Rolls (white in the inside) 5. White wine to drink 6. Salad... green... checked with Mary and she said it was ok to make this exception for the sake of attempting healthy eating. I also like the green leaf connection between Eve and Mary being the "New Eve".
The Table Setting
White table cloth and napkins White dinnerware White flowers for the dinner table and our home altar.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yields: 4-6 servings
Meet the Ingredients
For the chicken
1 tbsp olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (you could also use tenders)
salt & pepper
garlic powder
For the white wine sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 large ellow onion diced
4 garlic cloves minced
Salt & Pepper
1 C. White Wine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Fresh chopped parsley or basil as garnish (optional)
Note: I did not do pictures for this one but will add them in the future just in case you feel you need them.
Let's Get Started!
1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, I use a cast iron so this takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. While that is heating, season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Just give it a little sprinkle, sprinkle! I don't measure for this, just roll with it.
3. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes on each side. I use a kitchen thermometer and wait until it gets almost to 165 degrees. I say almost because the chicken is going to cook a little longer after this in the white wine sauce and nobody likes dried out chicken.
4. Once all your chicken has reached that cooking temperature, remove it from skillet and put it on a plate.
5. Next we will get to the white wine sauce. You do not need to wipe or drain your skillet, just let the excess juice and olive oil stay.
6. Add 1 tbsp butter to skillet and melt over medium-high heat.
7. Toss in 1/2 diced onions and cook for 3 minutes, or until softened.
8. Stir in 4 cloves minced garlic then sprinkle with salt, and pepper; cook for about 30 seconds.
9. Pour in 1 cup white wine and bring to a simmer, stir so as to scrape the bottom of the skillet and mix all together. Cook until half of the wine has reduced, about 5-6 minutes.
10. Sprinkle in 1 tsp thyme and a 1/2 cup half-and-half.
11. Reduce heat to medium- low and put the chicken back in the skillet. Let it simmer until the white wine sauce thickens, this took about 8 or so minutes for mine.
12. Once the sauce has thickened you can garnish with parsley or basil and serve.
