I got this recipe from my friend Farah quite a long time ago.  I bumped into her in the market on Valentines Day and I had no idea what to make for dinner.  She told me she was making Uncle Phil's Chicken so I decided to be a copy cat and make that too.  I'm so happy I did because it was really easy to make and totally delicious.  My whole family really loved it, especially the sauce.  This recipe makes a lot of extra sauce so my kids loved pouring it over their rice and extra over their cut up chicken.  The recipe calls for chicken gravy mix but the market didn't have any so I opted for brown gravy mix and I think it was really good.  Next time I'm going to try it with chicken gravy mix to see which we like better.

*Farah usually makes the rice dish (recipe below) to go with this chicken.  I used plain brown rice but I think I'm definitely going to try Farah's rice dish next time instead.

Ingredients:

4-6 Boneless chicken breasts
Breadcrumbs
Egg
Oil
2 packages of chicken gravy mix (I used brown gravy mix)
2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of white wine
1 box sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 tablespoon butter

Preparation:

You may want to flatten the breasts a bit if they are really thick or slice them through the middle. Dredge chicken in egg. (I season my egg with a bit of parsley flakes, salt, pepper and garlic powder) Next, dredge them in breadcrumbs. Heat up about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet/sauté pan. Add more oil as cooking if needed. Sauté the breasts until golden. (don't over cook them, keep the heat fairly low, they will be in the oven for a good 45 minutes and you dont want them dry.) Save the drippings in the pan when you are done. Place cutlets in a 9 x 13 pan.  I usually pour off a bit of the oil, leave about ½ T in the pan. Add the broth to the skillet, all the while stirring so that the bits will loosen a bit, add the wine and begin whisking in the two packets of gravy. Maintain a nice medium level of heat and dont dump in the gravy to be sure you dont get clumps. It should begin to thicken and bubble after a few minutes.  Sauté the sliced mushrooms in 1T of butter until cooked through, sprinkle over cutlets. Then, pour the gravy mixture over the cutlets.
Bake at 325 for 45 minutes, serve over rice.

Rice Recipe
Ingredients:

1 medium onion chopped
1 stick of butter
2 cans of broth
1/2 package of frozen chopped spinach, well drained
3 chicken bullion cubes
1 1/2 cups of Uncle Ben's converted rice

Preparation:

Sauté onion in butter until transparent. Add 2 cans of broth, spinach, bullion cubes, and rice. Simmer on stove covered for about 25 to 30 min until liquid has been absorbed.
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Super easy side dish with ingredients that I always have on hand.

Ingredients:

1 lb orzo pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 package of sliced mushrooms

1 small onion diced

Boil pasta according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  Add onion and sautee for a few minutes until starting to brown, add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until both onions and mushrooms are caramelized and tender.  Drain orzo and add to skillet with onions and mushroom.  Sitr to combine.

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I got this yummy side dish recipe from my friend Maria.  She makes it with zucchini and yellow squash.  I love mushrooms so I usually add those too and sometimes leave the squash out all together.  So simple and delicious.

Ingredients:

1 package of sliced portabello mushrooms

1 large yellow squash sliced into rounds

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup flavored bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In a large bowl add mushrooms and sliced yellow squash, olive oil, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss to coated evenly.  Spread veggies on a lined baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until veggies are tender and breadcrumbs are brown and crisp.
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I had a package of sliced mushrooms sitting in my fridge and didn't want them to go to waste so when Nanci came over we decided to make a mushroom ragu.  We found an easy and yummy sounding recipe that incorporated polenta.  This was very easy to make and came out delicious!!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 pound sliced button or crimini mushrooms
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 can (14.5 oz size) crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups dry instant polenta or instant couscous

Preparation:

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender and slightly golden, stirring occasionally.

Stir in mushrooms, oregano, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes; cover. Simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until heated through.

Meanwhile, in large pot, cook polenta according to package directions.

To serve, spoon ragù over polenta. Sprinkle each serving with the cheese.

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My daughter Rachel and I both love sweet potatoes. I am always looking for new ways to make them besides just plain old baked. I came up with this version of mashed sweet potatoes. The caramelized onions and mushrooms really help cut the sweetness of the potatoes. They were delicious!

Ingredients:

4-6 large sweet potatoes

1 T olive oil

1 large onion sliced

8 0z. sliced shiitake mushrooms

2 T butter or margarine

1/4 Cup soy milk

1 T maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Bake sweet potatoes in a 450 degrees oven for about 45 minutes or until you can pierce a fork through them easily. Cool for 5 minutes. Remove the skin from the potatoes and place the flesh into a large bowl or dish. Mash the flesh with a fork until smooth.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the onions. Sautee until they start to turn golden. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until the onions and the mushrooms are a dark golden brown. Set aside.

Add the soy milk, margarine, and maple syrup to the sweet potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Smooth the top and spread the onion and mushroom mixture over the sweet potatoes.

Serve hot.

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