Necessity is the mother of invention, as was the case with this recipe. It was a Monday after a busy weekend. I had no plan for dinner for the night, let alone for the week, so going to the grocery store would have been painfully ineffective. With no leftovers to fall back on and a freezer that was nearly overflowing, I figured this week I could try to use the items in my carefully curated freezer. (Carefully curated? Well no. Just full of ingredients that I had planned to use in previous weeks, but didn’t get around to…so in the freezer it went! But I like to pretend it was a bit more intentional than that! LOL) So out came the chicken and spinach; then I found some mushrooms, bacon, cream, and parsley in the fridge. This was the makings of an excellent meal!
And not to brag or anything (ok, total brag alert), but all 3 of my men loved it!! Both my kids don’t care for mushrooms, and the little guy doesn’t like chicken unless it is ground or in the form of a nugget. So wathed them take their first couple bites with baited breath. The little one saying, “I don’t like mushrooms but I’m going to try this one.” He took a bit and decided that it’s “not bad.” Hey, that’s a win in my book. And later when the husband had dinner after his long day of work, he commented how good it was! I almost cried! Because, like me, if you’re in charge of feeding a family, you know that this is a unicorn meal – one that’s easy to make, healthy, and everyone likes. Here’s the recipe – I hope you and your loved ones enjoy it as much as we did!
1 1/2 lbs. Chicken Tenderloins
3-4 Tb Wegmans Basting Oil (or any oil of your choice)
8 cloves Garlic, crushed
4 Tb Fresh Chopped Parsley
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
8 oz Bacon, diced
8 oz Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
10 oz. Frozen Spinach, thawed
2 c. Heavy Cream
1 c. Chicken Broth
1 c. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 drops Lemon Vitality
1 drop Thyme Vitality
Combine the oil, 2 cloves garlic, 2 Tb parsley, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Rub the oil mixture over the chicken to completely coat.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Sear the chicken, 3-4 minutes each side until the chicken is just cooked through. Transfer to a plate to rest.
Using the same skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Add the garlic, stirring frequently for about a minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften. Add spinach and cook until all water has evaporated.
Stir in the cream, chicken broth and Parmesan; simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with pepper.
Slice the chicken and add to the pan; allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes in the cream to take on the flavors. Take pan off the burner and stir in the Lemon Vitality and Thyme Vitality.
Garnish with parsley and shaved or grated parmesan, if desired. Serve over rice, pasta, or steamed/grilled vegetables.
*For a more sophisticated presentation, use 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Sear in an oven-safe skillet, then finish cooking in an oven preheated to 200F, about 25-30 minutes. Once cooked, remove chicken from the skillet and continue with recipe above.
Peace, Health, & Happiness 