Recipe - Muriel's Chicken

I was at my Mother's this weekend, and we got to talking about some of her recipe's. I grew up in a household with 10 children. My Mom was always cooking. It was a constant battle to not only feed, but also provide healthy meals to 10 hungry children. This was one of my favorites growing up. The recipe was given to her from her Aunt Muriel who lived in Washington State. It's been in the family for at least 50 years. I made some subtle changes to lower the calories and fat content. My son was in charge of the display. At the top of the plate are slices of yellow squash from my garden. On the left are mushrooms which were sauteed and used as a side.

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breasts (You can substitute boneless/skinless chicken thighs- growing up my Mom usually used thighs- they were cheaper).

2 cans of cream of chicken and mushroom soup.

fresh garlic ( make to taste- I found that an 1/8 of a large clove worked best).

Scallions-green onions (Chop up the green stems-I use about 1/4 cup).

2 lbs Mushrooms (I use baby Porto-Bella's. We love mushrooms. I  saute 2 lbs. Half goes into the recipe, the other half is used as a side dish).

Optional- 2 ounces cooking wine. (I use just a little red wine. The alcohol burns off during sauteing).

4 oz. part skim mozzarella cheese. ( My Mom's recipe calls for 4 oz. of grated sharp cheddar cheese- I like mozzarella and wanted a lower fat alternative). You can eliminate the cheese if desired.

2 tablespoons Olive or Canola oil.

Optional- 2 tablespoons I can't believe it's not butter.

Cooking Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown the chicken breasts or thighs, place in 4" pan.

On stove, saute: mushrooms, oil, fresh garlic, cooking wine, scallions. Saute until mushrooms are golden brown. Butter subsitute optional.

Remove 1/2 of mushrooms and put on side.

Add cans of cream of chicken and mushroom soup.

Add preferred cheese if desired.

Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.

Cover chicken breasts or thighs with mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Ten minutes before completion spoon extra mushrooms on top if desired, or use as a side dish.

Chicken Muriel is a quick and easy meal. It will serve 8.

Approximate calories per 6 ounce serving: 485 calories- 435 without the part-skim cheese.