Cheesy Chicken and Mushrooms

I was really planning on eating super-well this week. Really. :) I have decided to start the Couch-to-5K program(look it up!) and start jogging/running this summer, because I'd like to be in a bit better shape than I am right now. A friend of mine is going it with me, to make things easier. We're officially starting in 2 weeks, but I figured I'd work on jogging on my own until then so I won't embarrass myself the first week - sounds like a great plan, yes? And with that comes healthy eating. I just got a new healthy cookbook, so I felt like I could totally handle this whole thing.

And then I got home this afternoon. And I was trying (really, I was) to find a recipe out of my new book to try. And then I remembered a meal I've had in the past...it's lightly breaded/fried chicken mixed with sauteed mushrooms and then covered in cheese and baked. Mmmm.

So much for a healthy dinner. Pairing it with a salad totally counts, right? Right. Anyway, back to the recipe. This is one my mother has been making forever (again, we're onto family recipes), and it's so easy to make, and so very tasty. Between the yummy mushrooms and the crispy chicken and the melted cheese, it's really divine. Comfort food at its best. :D

This recipe is really easy to size up or down, depending on how many people you want to serve. I'll put in a serving for 2 here, but I made myself a personal serving and you can make as many as you want! And if you're not a mushroom fan, I'm very sorry. Mushrooms are my favorite vegetable (even if a large portion of the population thinks "they're icky because they grow in moldy caves", as a friend of mine would say), so a lot of recipes I have will include them. If you don't like them, I suppose you could leave them out but you'd be missing out!
 

Cheesy Chicken and Mushrooms

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 6-8 white button mushrooms
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 t. garlic salt
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Canola oil
• 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Before you start:Cube your chicken breasts and quarter your mushrooms. 

Recipe

1. Drizzle canola oil into a pan, enough to make about a 1/4" layer in the bottom. Heat it up to about medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms and garlic salt and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms should be lightly browned and soft. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Mix the flour with generous amounts of salt and pepper, pour onto a plate, and roll your cubed chicken in the flour mixture to bread it. 
4. Add the chicken pieces to the oil, and lightly fry them for a few minutes on each side. The pieces should be lightly browned and firm. Remove from the oil, pat dry, and mix with the mushrooms.
5. Split the chicken and mushrooms in half, and put each half in a fairly cohesive pile into a greased baking dish. Top each "pile" with a quarter cup of cheese.
6. Place the dish on the top rack of your oven and broil on low for 3-4 minutes. The cheese will be melted and bubbly, starting to brown. Serve immediately.

Thanks for reading and happy cooking!