Spinach and Mushroom Chicken for our Farewell #SRC

I think it is very fitting that for this final Secret Recipe Club post, I am assigned to Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures.  Amy is my friend outside of blogging and the person who first introduced me to this marvelous club that I am going to miss very much.

The good thing is that I made tons of great blogging friends in the SRC community and together we have joined other blogging events and communities so we will be able to keep in touch.  I want to thank the administrators of SRC, especially, Sarah of Fantastical Sharing of Recipes for all of the hard work keeping this club interesting, fun and on task.

But back to this month's assignment.  Let me tell you if I hadn't already been friends with Amy I would have wanted to be her friend after getting to know her through her blog.  Amy has two adorable boys who just happen to be lucky enough have two of my dearest friends, John and Kirsten, as grandparents.  Amy and her husband, Mike, are a fun loving couple who love sci fi and are proud "geeks".  They have great theme parties, like this Roaring 20's Party or this Star Wars Day Party.  I just wish they lived closer so I could get in on the fun.

Amy teaches at her son's school, teaches zumba at a local gym, bakes and decorates cakes for sale, takes care of her husband and boys, cooks healthy and nutritious meals and blogs in her spare time. Phew....I'm tired just writing about it.  You really need to check out Amy's baked goods at Amy's Confectionary Adventures.  That way you will find the perfect dessert to go with the amazing dinner selection that you found on her Cooking Adventures blog.

I read Amy's blog each time she posts something so there was really no need to browse her files. Instead I went straight to her entree recipes because I wanted to serve chicken during the week and figured, correctly, that I would find a great recipe on Amy's site.

I had my choices narrowed down to the bacon and caramelized onion BBQ chicken, the melt in your mouth chicken, the chicken pot pie with cheddar biscuits and the baked chicken with spinach and mushrooms that finally won out.

I chose this recipe because I had just picked up a package of organic chicken cutlets that were at their sell by date and this recipe called for thinly sliced chicken breasts.  Perfect.

I also had most of the ingredients on hand except for the proscuitto which I omitted and the french fried onions that I substitued with caramelized red onions.  Since I didn't have the proscuitto, I made the spinach and mushrooms the middle layer instead of the top layer.

I used only 1 pound of chicken since I was only feeding the 2 of us and layered it all in an 8x8" baking pan, poured in the wine, sprinkled with seasonings, covered with foil and put it in the oven.  I had place some potatoes and some brussels sprouts in the oven to roast while putting together this dish.  When the chicken was cooked the entire dinner was ready to be pulled from the oven and enjoyed.

I had a half an hour to relax with a glass of wine....I had to open it for the recipe and you can't let it just sit there...before removing the foil and topping the chicken with the onions and cheese mixture. Put it back in to finish cooking and in another 15 minutes you are good to go.

Thanks, Amy, for such an easy and delicious dinner that we enjoyed with the remainder of that bottle of Chardonnay I used.  

Spinach and Mushroom Chicken

adapted from Amy's Cooking Adventures

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 t. olive oil

4 chicken cutlets (approx. 1 lb)

salt and pepper to taste

1 T. dried Italian herbs

1 T. fresh parsley, chopped

2 c. baby spinach leaves

6 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2/3 c. dry white wine

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 t. beef bouillon powder

1/2 T. onion powder

dash of turmeric

3/4 c. mozzarella cheese

1/4 c. parmesan, romano, assiago blend 

In a small skillet, cook onion in 2 t. olive oil, over med high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.  Set aside

While onions are cooking, season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper.  Place 2 cutlets in the bottom of  an 8x8 baking pan.  Sprinkle with half the Italian herbs and parsley.  Top with the spinach and mushrooms and then layer two more cutlets on top.  Combine the wine, 1/4 c. olive oil, beef bouillion, onion powder and turmeric.  Pour over the chicken cutlets.  Sprinkle with remaining herbs and parsley.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 375* oven for 40 minutes. 

Remove from oven, uncover and top with the caramelized red onions and cheeses.  Return to oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted, bubbly and starting to brown.  Print Recipe

Here are the other final SRC posts 

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