Spinach Mushroom Chicken - a basic!

Alright ya'll.... I'm completely aware that at times these recipes seem to get a little "out there". Deconstructed Guac? Alright, not so basic. (Actually, it is. That's the whole point. But I don't want to fight anymore...)

So the other night I was overwhelmed with exhaustion, and could hear that voice in the back of my head starting in on the "just order sushi!" bit that I'm such a sucker for. Did you know a Spicy Tuna roll has like 600 Calories?! No bueno.

But what could I make? I absolutely didn't want to subject myself to Whole Foods for a prolonged period of time. I had chicken breasts.... so that was a start. Here's what I came up with!

Ingredients

1 6-8 ounce chicken breast
1 tsp butter
1 clove garlic
1/2 yellow onion
5 cremini mushrooms
1 cup frozen spinach
1 vine tomato (optional)

Heat a half tablespoon of EVOO over medium-high heat in a skillet. While that's heating, salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breast. Cook the chicken in the hot skillet, 6-8 minutes per side, until juices run clear and there's not more pink inside.

In a small pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Finely chop the garlic, and add to the butter. While that begins to cook, mince the 1/2 onion. Add to the butter. Let the onion and garlic work together for a few minutes while you slice the mushrooms and thaw the spinach. Add mushrooms to the mix; cook for another two to three minutes. Add thawed spinach, and stir until heated through, about one minute.

Spoon the spinach mushroom mixture over the chicken breast and serve alongside a fresh sliced tomato (if using). Enjoy!


Seriously folks, this can't be any more simple. And the taste is pretty freaking great! Basic earthy wholesome goodness. And is it healthy? I'd say so. You're only taking in about 200 Calories on this one. Maybe 220, tops! That's right - even with the butter!

And how'd our wallet do? Well, it's about $1 for chicken. A cup of frozen spinach is around 40 cents. An onion is about 70 cents. And cremini's? Those you can find in the produce section. There's usually a box where they're loose, so you can take as many (or few!) as you want and buy by the pound! So five mushrooms cost me... about 20 cents.

So you do the math. A frakkin' cheap meal? Absolutely :-)

It's nice to be nice to your wallet AND your tastebuds, don't you think?