Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms

Lately, it seems every week baby/mini bella mushrooms are on sale. I've always been a fan of portobella mushrooms, and with the little ones being the same price (or even cheaper) than white button mushrooms, it's been a little like Christmas around here. As always, when a recipe is not mine I'm stating that right up front. This one comes from the American Diabetes Association, and for once I actually made it as written without tweaking it at all. Weird, huh?

The ingredients for this one are very basic, and something I almost always have on-hand. It did call for sliced mushrooms, but it really wasn't a big deal slicing my own since I had whole ones. One thing that baffles me: Every recipe I've read that uses mushrooms says to NEVER EVER NEVER WASH THEM. I don't get it. I trim the stems, then wash them under running water, rubbing any dirt off with my fingers, then let them drain, then use them. I have never suffered any ill effects either in cooking or eating them.

Oh! I did make one change: It called for 1/2 onion, but instead I used a couple of the giant spring onions from the farmer's market. I also only made two thighs instead of four, for 2 servings. I knew it was weird I hadn't changed anything!

First step is to braise the thighs. I chose a large saucepan instead of a Dutch oven since I was only making two. This is not when you cook the chicken through, just when you saute them to sear their outsides.

Once the chicken is lightly browned, remove it to a plate. In the same pan, saute the onions until they begin to soften.

Once the onions are soft, add the mushrooms and saute until they're starting to cook (they'll begin releasing liquid). Then you add the balsamic vinegar and continue sauteeing them, which is when I remembered to snap a picture.

Scoot the mushroom/onion mixture to one side of the pan, and return the chicken thighs to it. Then spoon the mushroom mixture over top of the thighs, and add the chicken broth.

Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer to cook the chicken through. I ended up cooking a little longer than the 25 minutes it called for because I was making other things, so after 25 minutes I pulled the lid so some of the liquid could evaporate. This also condensed the flavour of the broth and (I think) made it even tastier.

Serve each thigh topped with the mushroom mixture. After I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, I also drizzled some of the liquid over top of everything. This would also be good served over rice or even mashed potatoes if you're not watching your carbs.

Budget-Friendly Braised Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms

Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 teaspoon trans-fat free margarine

½ onion, finely diced

8 ounce package sliced mushrooms

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 ½ cup low sodium, fat free chicken broth

Calories: 205

Carbohydrate: 6 g

Dietary Fiber: 1 g

Sugar: 4 g

Fat: 11.0 g

Saturated Fat: 2.5 g

Cholesterol: 105 mg

Sodium: 115 mg

Protein: 21 g

Again... Not my recipe. This one came from the American Diabetes Association.