Recipe #90 - Chicken Thighs with Mushroom Cream Sauce

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I found this recipe on EatingWell.com while searching for a health recipe for my brother (who is trying to eat better).

Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add shallots to the pan and cook, stirring, untili fragrant, about a minute. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine like I used); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 3 minutes.

Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 2-4 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer.

Returen the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Place the chicken on a plate, coat with sauce and serve with a veggie of your choice (I used fresh steamed green beans!)

This was delicious! I thought it was interesting to make my own mushroom cream sauce rather than using it out of the can like I have been for the last 25 years of my life. I never really thought about making it from scratch, but am glad I did. I like the more large chunks of mushrooms in the sauce. (Though I know that over half the people I cooked it for did not! Lol. I ended up eating all the mushrooms they were picking out.... so wrong!)

Rating: 9
Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Nutrition, per serving: 275 calories | 15 g fat | 84 mg cholesterol | 5 g carbohydrates | 25 g protein | 1 g fiber | 373 mg sodium | 370 mg potassium
Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (34% daily value).
Exchanges: 1 vegetable | 3 lean meat | 2 fat
Ingredients:
4 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs like I used), trimmed and tenders removed
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon canola oil
2 medium shallots, minced
2 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
4 tablespoons dry vermouth, or dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons minced fresh chives, or green scallions

Recipe #24 - Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo

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My mother and I drove down to Houston, TX to watch my niece for a week last week. Knowing that I was going to have to cook, I started reading recipes out loud to my mother. Mya over heard from the other room and I kept hearing "ew!", "that's gross!", "I don't like shrimp!" to everything I was saying. So I had to find one that was kid friendly. The first dish that popped into my mind was Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo.

I looked up several and found one that seemed complex enough with simple ingredients that a child wouldn't mind (as long as you didn't tell her what is in it, lol).

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 garlic cloves, and Italian seasoning. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Saute onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and mushrooms (I excluded these for Mya) until onions are transparent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes. Slowly add milk and half-and-half, stirring until smooth and creamy.  Stir in Parmesan and Colby-Monterey Jack cheeses; stir until cheese is melted. Stir in chicken mixture, tomatoes, and sour cream. Serve over cooked fettuccini.

I paired this with frozen organic spinach. Which is Mya's favorite veggie.

This turn out very well. I've never been a fan of the jarred Alfredo in the grocery stores. So I don't make it very often, if at all. You can really taste the difference from making it by scratch. Especially the onion and garlic.

Rating: 7
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 30 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes
6 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cloves of garlic, minced, divided
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 pound fettuccini pasta
1 onion, diced
1 (8 ounces) package sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
3 cups milk
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream