Mushroom Chicken with Rice

Most of the meals I cook are simple, but sometimes I go all out for a more elaborate dish.  This is probably one of the more complicated dishes I make.  Not because any one step is hard, but just because it is time consuming.  This recipe will feature more pictures because it involves more steps than others.  But it's good, really good, and worth the time invested.  This recipe is adapted from a recipe I found on FeaturedDish.com.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 lb sliced mushrooms 

Cream of mushroom soup

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups italian bread crumbs

3 eggs, beaten

Olive oil for pan

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon of basil

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup flour

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

First, prepare your cream of mushroom soup, if you want to avoid condensed soup.  It's easy!  Set aside.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat.  Add minced garlic and mushrooms to pan.  Sprinkle with salt.  Cook until mushrooms are soft and cooked through, approximately 5 minutes.

Remove mushrooms from heat and spread evenly inside a large, deep baking pan (I used a 9x13).

After removing mushrooms, heat more olive oil in the skillet on medium-high heat.  Mix eggs with dry basil and a pinch of salt in a small bowl, and beat well.  Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, then dip chicken in egg mixture, then coat both sides with bread crumbs.  Place in pan, and cook chicken thoroughly, turning over as it browns.  

When finished cooking, place chicken over mushrooms in baking pan.

*If you are using canned cream of mushroom soup, mix cream of mushroom soup with chicken broth in a separate bowl, then pour over chicken.  This saves you time and effort, but if you make your own gravy, the payoff is worth it.  

In the skillet, melt 1 tablespoons of butter in with the chicken and breading left in the pan.  Mix it all together over medium heat, then add in 1/2 cup of flour and stir until it absorbs the remainder of olive oil and butter in the pan.  Slowly pour in the cream of mushroom soup, stirring constantly until it thickens into a delicious gravy.

Once it has thickened, pour evenly over your chicken breasts in the baking pan, then sprinkle mozzarella cheese over everything.  Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.  While this delicious mixture is baking, prepare white rice.  Serve each breast and gravy over rice.  An amazing meal!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

This easy cream of mushroom soup is a great substitute for canned condensed soup, and it tastes delicious.  I adapted a recipe from food.com and use it for recipes that call for condensed soup.

Ingredients
8 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 -2 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour (separated)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Cut the mushrooms into slices, and set aside.  Melt butter in a large pan, and add minced garlic and mushrooms.  Cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.  Blend in 2 tablespoons of flour, and stir.
Add chicken broth and heat until slightly thickened while stirring frequently.  In a bowl, stir 1 tablespoon of flour and salt into cream, then slowly add to soup, stirring constantly.  Heat to thicken--don't forget to stir to keep it smooth.  

Green Bean Bacon Bundles

Bacon makes green foods tolerable.  And cheese.  Don't forget the cheese!  There are a lot of creative recipes out there for vegetables wrapped in bacon.  This is an easy way to get more green veggies into your diet.  It would also work for asparagus.

Serves 10-12, depending on your bundle size

Ingredients

1- 2 lbs of fresh green beans
10-12 slices of bacon
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced very fine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
pinch of salt
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray, then place a wire rack inside sheet to elevate your bundles.  Wash your green beans and pat dry with a paper towel.  Sprinkle beans with salt, then bundle together 8-10 beans, wrapping a slice of bacon around the center of the bundle to hold it together.  Lay each bundle seam side down on your cookie sheet / rack.

In a small saucepan, add butter, brown sugar, garlic, and soy sauce over low heat and whisk until melted.  Using a pastry brush, coat the tops of each bundle.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, turning bundles and reapplying sauce after 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and grate fresh parmesan onto bundles, as much as you would like, then return to oven for 10-15 minutes more, until bacon is nice and crispy.

This is a side dish everyone in the family loves--even me.  I usually grate more cheese over the bundles as soon as they come out of the oven to add to the cheesy goodness.  This time we served with smothered pork chops, but it also goes well with steak and chicken.  Enjoy!