Skillet Chicken & Squash Over Egg Noodles

Easy and fast weeknight combination that you and your family will thoroughly enjoy.

When I was out there like you working full time with youngsters getting a good meal on the dinner table was really important to me. Yes we occasionally went for a pizza, but in general I've always wanted a well rounded dinner for the family. Now with the kids all grown and out of the nest, I still want to make my husband and myself a decent dinner. So if you are like me you are going to love this simple supper. It's not fancy, it's not expensive and it fits right in here with Cooking On A Budget.
Having a food saver machine has been a god send. When chicken goes on sale I buy the large family pack and split it up according to our needs. Walmart has the food saver for a decent price and I think it pays for itself over time. They even carry the replacement bags.

While I was going for the chicken, another woman was next to me and she spoke that chicken is about all she can afford so when it's on sale she stocks up. The packs had 4 or 5 or 6 boneless and skinless breasts in them according to the weight of 3 pounds or more. She picked up 4 of them to add to her cart and while I was picking up one for myself, she grabbed a 5th package. That may seem extreme, however she was shopping smart based on her families needs and their budget. It's what we all need to do.

For this recipe I split the large breasts from end to end and pounded them down to a cutlet.

• 4 chicken cutlets
• 3 small squash (zucchini and or yellow summer) - cut 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 bag wide egg noodles
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 small onion - minced
• 2 garlic cloves - minced
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil + a touch more
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground mustard
• 1/4 tsp. sage
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Make a rub for the chicken by combining all of the spices and set aside.

1. If you are using pre-done cutlets you don't need to pound them down. If you are splitting the breast you need to remove silver skin and tendons as well. Be sure to rinse your chicken under cold water and pat dry. Sprinkle both sides of the cutlets with the spice rub. You should have enough for four pieces of chicken. Set aside.
2. Prep your squash, onion and garlic. Put the squash in a bowl and set the onion and garlic aside on your cutting board.
3. Get a skillet hot over medium high heat and add in the olive oil. Add the squash to the pan with a touch of extra salt and pepper. Saute the veggies until they start to get some color. Shake the pan and flip the squash to turn while sauteing. Takes about 10-15 minutes.

This is the color you are looking for:

1. Add the onion and garlic to the squash, stir and saute for a minute or two. Transfer this to the bowl you had the squash cubes in. Cover and keep warm.
2. Put the skillet back on the stove over medium high heat and add in the butter and just a touch more olive oil.
3. Saute the chicken quickly about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
4. De-glaze the pan with the broth and stir to get all the good bits up.
5. Add the vegetables back to the pan with the chicken and cook about 3 minutes more until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are warm.
6. Serve with egg noodles.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Cost: approximately $7.19, feeding four for $1.79 each

There's just enough flavoring on the chicken from the spice rub to make it tasty without being overbearing and all of those spices in the rub work really well together. Caramelizing the squash makes it more flavorsome. Overall this was an easy and delicious weeknight meal made with simple and inexpensive ingredients.