This was a very delicious dish that was effortless to put together.  There are so many versions of chicken and mushrooms, I like mine with a creamy sauce.  You can change this up however you like.  I made this years ago from cook book that I could not longer find, this is purely from memory.  Served over rice or noodles, with custy french bread, definitely a winner!  Please enjoy!    

For more chicken and mushroom recipes, click here.

• 1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1” chunks
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. Dried Thyme leaves
• Olive oil, generously coating your pan
• 3 large cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 3 large shallots, chopped fine
• 1-lb. sliced cremini mushrooms

Sauce mixture:

• 1 can reduced sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ cup whipping cream
• 2 tbsp. Tomato paste
• 2 tbsp. Oyster sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. Dried Thyme leaves

Combine chicken, flour, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper in a plastic bag and shake until chicken is well coated.  Remove chicken from bag shaking off any excess flour.  To a large non-stick pan over medium heat, add the olive oil.  Add your chicken and cook until nicely browned, about 10 minutes.  Remove chicken to a separate plate.  Add your garlic, and shallots, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.  Add your mushrooms, stirring until the mushrooms release their juices and start to wilt.  Add your sauce mixture, stirring completely to combine.  Bring to a boil, add your chicken and reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer until your sauce thickens, 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve over rice or noodles.  

Related posts:

1. Papparadelle With Chicken and Cremini Mushroom Ragu
2. Mushroom Fantasy Chicken
3. Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Rosemary Sauce

He especially liked the beans which was why I was looking forward to making this recipe, I have never made refried beans.  These refried beans are fresh, low fat, and very spicy.  So if you don’t care for the heat, you might want to cut the chipotle chiles in half to 1 teaspoon or less.  The grilled fennel and grilled chicken breast were a perfect compliment to these spicy beans.  The chicken breast, that I pounded to tenderize, is flavored with ground coriander, which has a slight citrus flavor.  Did you know that Coriander is the dried seed of cilantro?  The avocado mixture was not part of the original recipe, I added it because we LOVE avocado on just about anything….please enjoy! 

My source for this recipe was my monthly bon appetit.  Check out this link here for many different tostada recipes.

 Beans:

• 2 15-oz. cans pinto beans (liquid drained and reserved)
• ½ cup white onion
• 2 tbsp. dried oregano (I used Mexican oregano)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tsp. minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt to taste

Fennel and Chicken:

• 1 large fresh fennel bulb, trimmed, cut into 1/3-inch thick slices
• 6 tbsp. safflower oil (I used olive oil)
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/3 cup coriander seeds, coarsely crushed in plastic bag (I used ground coriander)

And:

• 6 corn tostada shells
• 3 cups romaine lettuce
• 6 radishes, thinly sliced
• Cilantro sprigs for garnish
• Lime wedges

1 avocado mixed with:

•  2 tbsp. salsa, 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, 1 tbsp. lime juice, ½ tsp. red pepper flakes (the avocado mixture was not part of the original recipe, this was my addition)

Beans:

Place beans and next 5 ingredients in processor, blend to chunky puree.  Heat oil over medium heat in large saucepan.  Add bean mixture and ½ cup reserved bean liquid, reduce heat to low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, adding more bean liquid if necessary.  Season with salt and pepper.

Fennel and chicken:

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat.  Brush fennel slices with 1-1/2 tbsp. olive oil, add fennel slices to pan and cook until slightly browned and crisp tender, a few minutes each side.  Set aside and cut into strips.  Pound each chicken breast to ¼-inch thickness.  Rub each side with ground coriander, salt and pepper.

Heat remaining olive oil in non-stick pan to medium heat.  Sauté chicken breasts until nicely browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes each side.  Set aside and tent your chicken with foil for a few minutes to cool before you slice into 1/3-inch wide strips.

Assembly:

Top each tostada shell with beans, lettuce, radishes, fennel, and chicken.  Scoop avocado mixture over top of chicken.  Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges

Serves: 4

Total time: 90 minutes

Related posts:

1. Fennel and Chicken Sausage Risotto with Fresh Herbs
2. Orange Marinated Chicken-Fennel over Fettucini, with Orange Cream Sauce
3. Lupita’s Grilled Chicken Breasts with White Sauce Poblano

Before it was baked in the oven, we drizzled a small of amount of olive oil mixed with white wine vinegar.  The baking time was quick, just 30 minutes.  I then let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.  A simple and quick meal that was perfect for a week night.  Please enjoy!

For more quick and light chicken recipes, click here to check out cookinglight.com.

• 1 large skinless boneless chicken breast cut in half
• 1 small tomato chopped
• 1 garlic clove minced
• ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley chopped
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 slices mozzarella cheese
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. white wine vinegar
• Kitchen twine

Preheat oven 350 degrees.   Pound each chicken breast half to ¼ inch thickness.  In a small bowl combine tomatoes, garlic, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon tomato mixture evenly over the wider side of each chicken breast.  Lay the mozzarella cheese over the tomato mixture and carefully rollup.  Secure chicken breasts with kitchen twine by rolling the twine around at a diagonal.  Combine olive oil and vinegar.  Place chicken breasts on a non stick oven proof pan and brush with the olive oil and white wine vinegar.  Bake for 30 minutes until lightly brown.  Remove from oven and tent for about 10 minutes before serving.

Related posts:

1. Stuffed Chicken Breast Rolls
2. Garlic and Lemon Marinated Chicken Breasts With Gnocchi and Sage Butter Sauce
3. Chicken Pomodoro

If you have not tried smoked paprika, you really should.  It has a deep smokey and slightly sweet flavor, that is not at all like the regular paprika that has almost no flavor.  Smoked paprika is made in spain from smoked, ground pimiento peppers.  There are varying intensities, from sweet to mild (dulce), to medium (agridulce), and to hot (picante), according to this link here.  I found the start of this recipe from my Sunset magazine, but changed it up, to fit our own taste buds.  Please enjoy!

Click here to find more recipes using smoked paprika. 

• 1 lb. chicken breasts tenders, cut into bite size pieces
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, including greens
• ½ jalapeno seeded and diced
• ½ lime juiced

Chicken rub:

• 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. each salt, garlic powder, and cumin
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Avocado/cream sauce:

• 2 ripe avocados
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup cilantro chopped
• ½ jalapeno seeded and diced
• ½ lime juiced
• Salt and pepper to taste

4 Medium size white corn tortillas
4 cheese mexican blend (sargento)
Spring mix, cabbage or lettuce of your choice

Place your chicken in a plastic bag, pour rub ingredients over and shake vigorously coating chicken completely.  Place in refrigerator for at least one hour.  Prepare tomatoes and onions and set aside.  In a medium size bowl add avocado, sour cream, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime juice.  Mash the avocado and mix ingredients completely, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside in your refrigerator.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  After your chicken has marinated for at least one hour, in a large non-stick pan heat your olive to a medium heat, add your chicken stirring to coat with the oil, then sauté chicken until slightly crispy and cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, onions, and lime juice to the chicken, stirring to combine.  Cook an additional 3-4 minutes until tomatoes and onions are slightly limp.  Place your tortillas in foil, and heat in oven for about 5 minutes.  To serve spoon chicken mixture into warmed tortilla, top with cheese, avocado cream sauce and spring mix.  Serve immediately.  

Makes:  4 medium burritos

Total time: 90 minutes

Related posts:

1. Chicken Pomodoro
2. Roasted Chicken And Corn Summer Chowder
3. LooLoo’s Chicken Cordon Bleu

For more recipes with pablano peppers, click here. 

• 1 large Poblano pepper
• 2 chicken breasts
• ¼ tsp. onion salt
• ¼ tsp. cumin
• Freshly ground pepper
• 4 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 shallots finely chopped
• 2 large portabellas, chopped
• 2 slices jalapeno pepper cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place your poblano pepper on a skewer.  Char entire Pablano over an open flame on your gas stove.  Set aside to cool.  Meanwhile, pound chicken breasts to ½ inch thickness, sprinkle with onion salt, and cumin, set aside.  Roughly chop portabellas, and shallots, set aside.  Peel cooled poblano to remove all of the charred skin, remove stem, seeds, and roughly chop.  To a blender add the poblano pepper, cilantro, and half and half.  Blend completely, and set aside.  

In a large oven proof non-stick pan heat 2 tbsp. of the vegetable oil to medium heat, and brown portabellas and shallots.  Set aside.  To your pan add the remaining oil, heat to medium, saute chicken breasts to a nice golden brown, about 4 minutes each side.  Turn the heat on your pan down to low and add the portabellas, shallots, and pablano white sauce.  Lightly stir to combine.  Once your pablano white sauce is heated through, place the jalapeno cheese on each chicken breasts.  Place in oven until jalapeno cheese has just melted.  Serve immediately with cilantro rice, spooning your pablano white sauce over both the chicken and rice, YUM!

Serves: 2

Total time: 45 minutes

Related posts:

1. Garlic and Lemon Marinated Chicken Breasts With Gnocchi and Sage Butter Sauce
2. Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Rosemary Sauce
3. Chicken Tostadas With Refried Beans and Grilled Fennel

For more indian curry recipes, click here.

• 1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 lb. spinach
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ tsp. each turmeric, and cayenne
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2-inch piece, fresh ginger, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. each ground coriander, and cumin
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1-14oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
• ¼ lemon, juiced
• Plain yogurt (1 heaping spoonful, per serving)

In a large soup pot, add your olive oil and heat to medium.  Add your mushrooms and onions and cook until onions are soft, and mushrooms are lightly browned, stirring often, about 8-10 minutes.  Add turmeric, cayenne, ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, and salt.  Stir completely and cook for 2 minutes, add chicken and cook stirring often for about 8-10 minutes until chicken is no longer pink on the outside.  Add chopped tomatoes and simmer covered for about 10 minutes.  Add chicken broth and simmer for another 5 minutes, uncovered.  Add spinach by handfuls stirring as you go and continue simmering until spinach is wilted completely, being careful not to overcook.  Stir in cilantro and lemon juice, simmering for another few minutes.  Serve in large soup bowls with basmati rice, and a heaping spoonful of yogurt.   

Serves: 4

Total time: 60 minutes

Related posts:

1. Spinach Salad With a Fig Balsamic Vinagarette
2. Pasta with Italian Sausage, Spinach and Mushrooms
3. Sauteed Chicken with a Cremini Mushroom Sauce

This was such an easy recipe to put together, with very little ingredients, and I have to say I think the best chicken tenders we have ever had, tender, moist and especially juicy!!  Please enjoy!!

For more chicken tender recipes from Cooks.com, click here.

• 1 lb. chicken tenders
• ½ pint buttermilk
• 1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
• 2/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 4 tbsp. corn oil

Wash and pat dry your chicken.  Pour buttermilk into a medium size bowl, add chicken tenders, stir to coat.  Marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour.  Meanwhile combine your bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.  You can combine this in a bowl, plate, or whatever you like.  (I prefer to combine mine on waxed paper, because there is no clean-up.) 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  After chicken has marinated, pull each piece one by one out of the buttermilk, shaking off any excess buttermilk, and coat evenly in bread crumb-parmesan mixture.  Place on a separate plate and continue coating the rest of your chicken tenders.  Preheat a large non-stick pan with the butter and corn oil, on medium heat.  Working in batches, cook your tenders on each side for about 3-4 minutes, to a nice golden brown, being careful not to burn.  (make sure your heat is not too hot, turn the heat to below medium if necessary.)   Add additional butter and corn oil if necessary.  As your tenders are cooked, place on a separate plate in your warmed oven until you have cooked all your tenders, and are ready to serve.

Serves: 4

Total time: 45 minutes

Related posts:

1. Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders
2. Orange Marinated Chicken-Fennel over Fettucini, with Orange Cream Sauce
3. Garlic and Lemon Marinated Chicken Breasts With Gnocchi and Sage Butter Sauce

This was a fun pasta dish that I made in an effort to experiment with the orange infused olive oil that my sister gave me as a gift.  I happen to like creamy sauces, so to my chicken broth, white wine, orange juice, and orange zest, I added 1/4 cup of cream mixed with corn starch.  It was really, really good!  If cream is too rich for your taste buds, you can add the corn starch as a last step, to thicken your sauce.  I picked fennel as one of my vegies in this recipe, which provided a nice compliment to the sweet onion, and all the fresh orange goodness that was going on with this delicious, lip-smacking pasta….please enjoy!

For more recipes that include an orange marinade, click here.

• 1 lb. chicken tenders cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 oz. Orange infused olive oil
• Zest from 1 orange, divided in half
• Juice from 1 orange, divided in half
• Salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 6 tbsp. olive oil, divided in half
• 1 fennel bulb sliced
• ¼ cup fennel fronds chopped
• 1 sweet yellow onion chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ cup white wine
• ¼ cup cream mixed with 2 tbsp. corn starch
• ½ lb. fettucini

In a medium size bowl combine the orange infused olive oil, zest from ½ orange, juice from ½ half orange, salt, and pepper to taste.  Place chicken tenders in bowl, stir to combine, and marinate in refrigerator for one hour while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.

Tear off fennel fronds to ¼ cup, chop and set aside.  Slice fennel bulb to ¼ inch thickness.  Chop sweet onion, combine with fennel bulb slices and set aside.  Start a large pot of boiling salted water for the fettucini.  Cook your fettucini al dente, and place back into your pot.

Take your chicken out of the refrigerator and let it sit for a few minutes while you heat up a large non stick pan on medium heat with 3 tbsp. olive oil.  Sauté marinated chicken on each side for about 3-4 minutes.  Your heat should not be too hot.  You want a nice golden brown.  Remove chicken tenders to a separate plate, cover with foil.  To your pan add the remaining 3 tbsp. olive oil, sliced fennel and onion.  Sauté until fennel and onion are tender, and almost caramelized.  Set aside.  To your pan add the chicken stock, and white wine, scraping up all the brown bits.  Place your chicken back into your pan, bring to a light boil, cover and simmer on a low heat for about 8 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan, add the cream mixed with cornstarch, orange juice, and the remaining orange zest.  Bring to a light boil, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.  Meanwhile to your fettucini, add the fennel , onion, and chicken, stirring lightly.  When your sauce is done pour over the fettucini.  Stir to combine completely.  Serve into large pasta bowls and sprinkle with reserved fennel fronds.

Serves: 4

Total time: 90 minutes

Related posts:

1. Orange Marinated Skirt Steak Salad with Crispy Shallots
2. Spaghetti with Smoked Turkey Sausage and Artichoke Fennel Sauce
3. Garlic and Lemon Marinated Chicken Breasts With Gnocchi and Sage Butter Sauce

For different versions of chicken tenders, click here.  

• 6 tbsp. corn oil
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
• ¾ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ¾ tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 – 1 ½ lb. boneless skinless chicken tenders

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Into a shallow bowl whisk eggs, spicy brown mustard, and red pepper flakes.  Place chicken tenders into egg mixture and combine to coat thoroughly.  In another shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.  Remove the chicken tenders from the egg mixture, and dredge them into the breadcrumb mixture, coating thoroughly, setting aside on a separate plate.  In a large nonstick pan, pour in your corn oil, heating your pan to medium heat.  (if the pan is too hot, the cheese will stick).   Working in batches, cook your chicken to a nice golden brown on the outside.  Remove to a separate plate, keeping warm in the oven, until all tenders are cooked.

Total time:  60 minutes

Serves:  4

Related posts:

1. Buttermilk Marinated Chicken Tenders
2. Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Sage Butter Sauce
3. Almond-Crusted Chicken

To learn more about making risotto/ risotto recipes check out www.newitalianrecipes.com.

• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 tbsp. fresh chopped chives
• 2 tbsp. fresh fennel fronds 
• 8 tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 Basil cracked pepper chicken sausages
• 1 sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, rinsed and thinly sliced (white part only)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
• ½ cup white wine
• 6 cups chicken broth, warmed
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Pour broth into a large sauce pan, turn heat to low and warm while you prepare your dish.  Place your parsley, basil, chives, fennel fronds, 4 tbsp. olive oil, and salt and pepper in a small food processor.  Blend to a paste like consistency.  Place in a separate bowl, and set aside.  Cut your sausage in half, then again into half coins, cutting the half coins in half.  Heat a nonstick skillet with 2 tbsp. olive oil, add the sausage and sauté until nicely browned.  Remove and set aside.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 6 minutes.  Add the remaining olive oil and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and cooked, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. 

Add the rice and sausage stirring completely.  Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed, about 12 minutes.  Start adding your warmed broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly until almost completely absorbed, before adding more broth.  When the rice is tender and cooked, remove from heat.  Stir in butter, cheese, pureed spices, and season with salt and pepper.

Serves: 4

Total time: about 90 minutes

Related posts:

1. Spaghetti with Smoked Turkey Sausage and Artichoke Fennel Sauce
2. Orange Marinated Chicken-Fennel over Fettucini, with Orange Cream Sauce
3. Chicken Tostadas With Refried Beans and Grilled Fennel