Recipe Exchange

A dear friend of mine passed along a Recipe Exchange email.  How fun! According to the email, after forwarding it to twenty people, I should get thirty-six recipes back.  The email asked that I pass along my favorite weeknight dinner.  I'm really looking forward to see what recipes my friends come up with and will definitely share the winners.

For my recipe, I chose my adaptation of Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms that I found on the Whole Foods website about a year ago.  It reminds me of chicken cacciatore, only better.  I've modified it a bit to add more veggies and I serve it with whole wheat pasta (I bet it would be great over polenta).  It's easy, delicious and a great go to dinner on a cold evening.  Enjoy!

Chicken with Tomatoes and Mushrooms




Photo courtesy of WholeFoods.com

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 cup flour 

Salt to taste 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces 

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 

3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed 

1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, drained 

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 

2 tablespoons butter 

1 package of sliced portobello mushroom 

Juice of 1 lemon 

1/4 cup basil leaves, torn 

1 bag of baby spinach leaves

1 pound of wholewheat pasta of your choice

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. In a gallon size plastic bag mix together flour, salt and red pepper flakes then coat chicken with flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Transfer chicken to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned; transfer to a large plate and return pot to the heat. Reduce heat to medium, add onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add tomatoes, broth and browned chicken and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, add mushrooms and cook until tender and golden. Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside. 

Add cooked mushrooms, basil and spinach to pot with chicken mixture and continue simmering just spinach begins to wilt.  Serve over wholewheat pasta of your choice and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  

Method