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EconomyBites

Posted: May 20, 2010 12:32 PM

Recession Recipe: Chicken with Mushrooms (VIDEO)

What's Your Reaction:


Happy morning, everybody. I just paid some bills, so I'm feeling extremely cranky right now. I'm re-watching this episode, Episode 30, Chicken with Mushrooms, hoping it'll cheer me up. Hang on...it's working...working...OK, DONE! I'm happy now! Phew, that just saved my whole day!

You can see in this episode - if you watch to the end - that after taking a bite and saying "mmm, yum," I do a double take and make the yum noise a 2nd time. That was me realizing just how delicious this dish is. IT. IS. CRAZY. DELICIOUS. I hope you make this one, I really, really do.

A second thought: if you are a long watcher/fan of Economy Bites, you'll notice that I'm wearing the same outfit in this episode that I was wearing in our CNN piece that aired on CNNMoney.com back in February. If you're a new fan (or someone with eyes), you'll notice - toward the middle of the episode- a blurry man with a camera standing behind me. Either way - he interviewed us for the piece, and filmed the episode for filler footage. Just goes to show how far in advance we film! We work hard for you, people! 7 days a week!

A note on the recipe: there is no note really. It's so easy and it's super awesome. If you have specific questions, you can email me at allie@economybites.tv, and I'll be sure to answer. Otherwise: I leave you to your own devices. Recipe follows...

Chicken with Mushrooms

Ingredients

-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs), pounded flat and sliced in half

-1 egg

-2 cups Italian breadcrumbs

-4 Tbsp butter

-2 Tbsp olive oil

-16 oz. sliced Cremini mushrooms

-1 1/2 cup chicken broth

-1/2 cup cream

-juice of 1 lemon

-1 tsp capers

-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

-pinch of salt

Procedure

-Preheat oven to 350

-Cover a cutting board with plastic wrap. Place chicken breasts on top then cover them with another piece of plastic wrap. Using a mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken breasts until they are flat and about doubled in size. Once pounded, slice each breast in half and remove them on a plate.

-Crack an egg into a bowl and beat it. Set the bowl next to the plate with the chicken breasts.

-Pour breadcrumbs onto a plate and set it next to the egg (which is next to the chicken breasts).

-Start the assembly line: get a clean plate ready for coated chicken pieces. Dip one of the pounded chicken pieces in the egg (both sides). Then dip the chicken breast in breadcrumbs until fully coated. Place the breaded chicken on the clean plate. Repeat with each piece of chicken.

-Heat a pan over medium. Melt butter and add olive oil. Let them get hot and bubbling.

-Once hot, cook 2 breaded chicken breasts pieces at a time. You're just browning the breadcrumbs - not cooking the chicken all the way through - so each piece of chicken will only need about 2-3 minutes to cook on each side. Once golden, remove browned chicken pieces to a pyrex or other baking dish. Repeat with all 6 pieces adding butter and/or olive oil as needed.

-Once chicken is done, keep pan on medium heat and add mushrooms. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring to coat in butter and oil, until soft.

-Add chicken broth and stir to scrape fatty brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it reduce for 2-3 minutes or until the chicken broth turns dark brown. Add cream, lemon juice and capers. Add salt to taste. Cook for another minute then pour mushrooms and sauce over chicken. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes in the oven.

ENJOY!

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Happy morning, everybody. I just paid some bills, so I'm feeling extremely cranky right now. I'm re-watching this episode, Episode 30, Chicken with Mushrooms, hoping it'll cheer me up. Hang on...it's...
Happy morning, everybody. I just paid some bills, so I'm feeling extremely cranky right now. I'm re-watching this episode, Episode 30, Chicken with Mushrooms, hoping it'll cheer me up. Hang on...it's...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Leto II
She say she are the manager.
03:08 PM on 05/25/2010
Where's the marsala wine?
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
missjulz
romneying with scissors always gets someone hurt
11:22 AM on 05/25/2010
I make a variety of mushroom chicken dishes and I can make this one even MORE recession proof.
Pat chicken dry, salt and pepper.
Brown the chicken in a good oven proof skillet.
Roast the chicken. (don't pound flat). 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes (roast it tented loosely with tin foil)

Remove chicken to plate to rest, cover with tin foil.
Saute muchrooms, small onion in a small pan, toss in some taragon and thyme in the end. (Season with salt and pepper)
Pour into saute pan that held chicken.
Make the sauce in the pan using broth, cream, fresh lemon juice. Reduce to thicken and add frozen peas.

There. No breadcrumbs, no capers. Just the addition of frozen peas, very economical. Very good. And lower calorie than all those breadcrumbs too.
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climbing panda
there's a log in my cabin
04:26 PM on 05/24/2010
capers and cremini mushrooms? i'd love to live on your "budget"
12:38 PM on 05/24/2010
Mmmmm that looks delish!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
joelaf
My micro bio is half full.
08:12 PM on 05/23/2010
frozen boneless skinless thighs are much cheaper, and have more FlavorFlav!
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
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05:14 AM on 05/24/2010
Yuck. Feel free to buy all the ones you want. I won't miss them. ;)
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
seehowtheyrun
I have a dog and I vote.
01:05 PM on 05/24/2010
I was thinking the same thing.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
momcat54
02:39 PM on 05/23/2010
ANything envolving chicken mushrooms lemons and olive oil is luscious. Throw in some cream and it's to die for. CHicken Picata is a big favorite at our house
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PatA
Pink is a 4 letter word
04:20 PM on 05/23/2010
What are the calories in this recipe? Sounds too rich for someone who tries to eat healthy.
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02:22 PM on 05/23/2010
Minus the capers, add marsala wine, this is chicken marsala.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
AZdesertdog
12:49 PM on 05/23/2010
so many "experts" and critics.

I tried the recipe just the way it was written, and it was great.

I can buy boneless, skinless breasts from many stores for $1.88-$1.99 per pound anytime. bone-in thighs or drumsticks are only about 30 cents cheaper per pound.

I don't know where parmesan is $20 per pound; in my area, it's hard to find it over $8 per pound.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ozark Homesteader
http://ozarkhomesteader.wordpress.com
11:26 PM on 05/22/2010
Wow, that's a lot of parmesan cheese if it's the real stuff! We like to use real Parmigiano-Reggiano because the flavor and texture are so superior, but with the real stuff you need just a tiny bit to get sufficient flavor. Thank goodness, because at close to $20 a pound, 1/2 cup would not be recession worthy!
http://ozarkhomesteader.wordpress.com/
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
Katco
Misogyny: hard to spell, easy to practice
09:51 PM on 05/22/2010
...over egg noodles, yummy.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
raker
04:35 PM on 05/22/2010
Boneless, skinless chicken breast cost a stinking fortune if you buy them that way. Instead buy a whole chicken and remove the breasts yourself. Freeze the legs and thighs for another time.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ozark Homesteader
http://ozarkhomesteader.wordpress.com
11:23 PM on 05/22/2010
Absolutely! My blog post for tomorrow (already written) is on just that subject. http://ozarkhomesteader.wordpress.com/
Your way, you get stock too. :-)
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Carol Snow
03:41 PM on 05/22/2010
She did not wash that chicken before cooking it... that's nasty!
03:46 PM on 05/23/2010
Actually, some experts are now saying you should NOT rinse your poultry- it just spreads bacteria around the kitchen that is hard to remove from your sink and sponge. Since you are cooking the chicken anyway, the bacteria will be killed in that process. But I sort of agree, it does seem kinda gross...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
FPhoebe
HP badges make me feel validated.
11:42 PM on 05/24/2010
I've never seen anyone wash chicken...
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Deeba Rajpal
Food blogger,Passionate baker,mother,wife,cook,Dar
12:30 PM on 05/22/2010
I like the sound of this. I think I'll go with button mushrooms here ... nice recipe!
12:48 AM on 05/22/2010
For anyone who's interested, here's another "economy recipe" for chicken and mushrooms.

1. Choose your favorite cut of chicken (I prefer the thighs) or just use a whole cut-up fryer.
2. Dredge the chicken in the flour of your choice. (I recommend Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo and Fava Flour for those who are sensitive to gluten.)
3. Using a stew pot or (preferably) a cast iron Dutch oven, brown the chicken for roughly five minutes in butter or olive oil, depending on your preference.
4. Meanwhile, dice one Vidalia onion and one or two cups of mushrooms. Remove the chicken after it is browned, then add the onion and mushrooms to the butter or oil. Saute, stirring constantly until the onion is soft, then add one cup of brown rice.
5. Make sure the rice is coated with butter or oil. Then place the chicken on top of the rice, onions and mushrooms.
6. Add two cups of chicken broth, one cup of Half And Half and one cup of whipping cream (unless you have access to real whole milk... then it's two cups of broth and two cups of milk).
7. Add sage, salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook until most (but not all) of the liquid is absorbed by the rice.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
ObamaYouBetcha
Never runs with scissors.
07:05 PM on 05/22/2010
OMG - that sounds lovely. I like that you noted a GF option for the flour. I use rice flour in recipes like this when substituting for wheat flour - seems to work well also. Basically, you can't go wrong with chicken and enough onions!
01:26 AM on 05/23/2010
Gracias.
06:55 AM on 05/23/2010
Mmm sounds tasty! Thanks for posting
12:24 AM on 05/24/2010
De nada.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
foodcoma
10:34 PM on 05/21/2010
This is great but for a classic chicken recipe go to:

http://www.multiplefoodgasms.com/recipe.detail.php?recipeid=31