Chicken breasts with wild mushroom sauce

This recipe comes from my dear dad, Steve. I believe he found it somewhere on the interweb, maybe Canadian Living. It was quite delicious but not a fast meal so save it for a Sunday dinner. I served it with rice and kale salad.

Serves 4

4 boneless breasts, with skin on (I used skinless)
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 1/2 lb mixed mushrooms, eg. cremini, oyster, shitake, roughly chopped or whole
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
3/4 cup chicken stock (gluten free)
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce (gluten free, sodium reduced)
2 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces
2 Tbsp chives, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and 1 tsp of the tarragon.  Heat the oil and butter in a large, ovenproof skillet (I used my iron Kitchen Aid one). Sear the chicken over medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side or until golden.  Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Add shallots to skillet and return to heat. Saute for 1 minute, then add mushrooms, garlic and remaining tarragon.  Saute for an additional 5 minutes or until mushrooms "exude" their juices and the juice begins to evaporate. This really does happen! Who knew mushrooms were this juicy? Immediately add stock, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce.  Boil for 1 minute to combine flavours.

Return the chicken to the skillet and place the whole thing in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the thickness of the breasts) or until the juices are clear. Remove chicken and keep warm.

Stir in butter, piece by piece, until absorbed and melted, with the pan off the heat. Place the mushrooms and sauce on a serving plate and top with chicken. Garnish with chives (optional).