Chicken and Mushrooms with Sage

In order to maintain a food budget it is important to meal plan around ingredients you have in your pantry. I love reading recipes in cook books and on line but I find so many recipes have oddball ingredients or spices I don't have or ingredients that I know my store doesn't carry. And there are times when I know my budget can't afford the price of what the recipe calls for. Sound familiar?

This recipe is made with the most basic of ingredients and nothing out of the ordinary. The only item you may not generally purchase is the heavy cream. In this case I used it because I had the cream available from another recipe I made, otherwise I would have used half and half.

Chicken and mushrooms with sage is a simple ingredient recipe that in the end produces moist and tender chicken bathed in a mushroom based sauce. It's easy enough to pull off during the week. At the end of the post I have the approximate cost, which in this day and age is definitely a budget meal.

• 1 large chicken breast - boneless and skinless
• 1 - 10 oz. package sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 large onion - sliced in half moons
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic or garlic powder
• 1/3 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
• 2 tsp. corn starch + 2-3 tsp. water = slurry
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. fresh sage - finely minced or 1 tsp. dried sage
• 1/4 tsp. Gravy Master®

1. Wash and dry your chicken breasts and remove any silver skin left on or tendons.
2. The next thing to prepare the breasts is to slice them from end to end in half lengthwise then cut the halves into two pieces so you get four servings. You'll end up with two that are slightly thicker than the other two, but that's okay. Just adjust the sauteing time for each piece.
3. Place the flour in a shallow dish along with the salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic. Mix well.
4. Slice your onion in half moon slices and if you bought whole mushrooms, slice them.
5. In a deep skillet over medium low heat melt the 2 tbsp. butter and olive oil.
6. While that is happening, dredge the chicken in the flour to coat all sides, shake off the excess flour and place on a waiting plate.
7. Add in the onion slices to the skillet and turn the heat up to almost medium and cook until they begin to get some color on them. Then toss in the sliced mushrooms, stir and cook for just a couple of minutes. Remove the onions and mushrooms to a waiting bowl.
8. Turn the heat up to medium high, add in the other 2 tbsp. of butter and place the chicken in the pan and be careful not to over crowd. Saute until golden brown, turn over and saute the other side. About 1 1/2 - 2 minutes per side. Then take the chicken out of the pan and place on a clean plate.
9. De-glaze the pan with the chicken broth, scrapping up all of the good bits on the pan. Add in the Gravy Master and stir.
10. Add the fresh sage to the pan along with the chicken and cover with the mushrooms and onions.
11. Simmer over low heat for about 25-30 minutes. Remove the chicken once again to a plate and add in the heavy cream and stir. Taste and adjust for seasoning and add salt or pepper as necessary.
12. If the sauce is not thick enough, make a slurry with the cornstarch and water. Turn the heat up to high so the mixture begins to boil and whisk in the corn starch a little at a time until the sauce is thick to your liking.
13. Add the chicken back to the pan, coat with the sauce and simmer for two more minutes.
14. Serve this over egg noodles or mashed potatoes with a side vegetable.

My store had the breasts on sale - 3 lb. packages for $1.99 per pound. I cut up one large breast for this dinner and had enough for two other meals. Real bargain along with my $1.00 per package egg noodles I stocked up on a few weeks ago. So with egg noodles and baby peas the dinner comes out to approximately $8.65.