Braised Chicken With Veggies

Best chicken ever. Do you have a problem making healthy food taste good? Some people just accept that chicken breast are typically dry and bland. Not this time, not with this recipe. Also, I have some tips to save some money on buying frozen instead of fresh.You can thank me later.
Savings: 5-10$
Ingredients:1 pound Chicken Breast or Thighs.
                   Assorted Vegetables/ any of these
                   works: Carrots, broccoli, potatoes,   
                   onions, mushrooms, potatoes, red 
                   peppers, asparagus, cauliflower,  
                   squash, green beans, ginger snaps.               
                   2-3 Strips Bacon.                                             
                   1 cup Water                                                    
                   1 can of Cream of Chicken
                   1 tbsp Garlic and 3 tbsp Butter
                   1 tsp Black Pepper and Thyme
                   1 tbsp Basil or 1 sprig (serves 2-3 adults) Cooking time about 60-130 minutes

 

 Render the bacon down until completely crispy. Remove bacon and save for tomorrows breakfast or chop into little chunks as a garnish for the veggies. Butter, vegetable oil or olive oil can be used instead.  

If the breast are really thick, slice them horizontally into cutlets so they cook easier. Season chicken with the ingredients listed, the bacon and cream of chicken usually very salty so don't worry about adding salt. Cook on medium high until firm on both sides and white all the way through (10-15 min). To save money, buy the bulk frozen bags of chicken breast. They usually run 7$ for 2 pound bags, that's 3.50 a pound. Fresh usually runs 5-6$ lb, but when there's a great sale like 1.99$ lb, stock up and freeze them. The chicken will last at least 6 months in the freezer.

Remove the chicken when done, add the veggies. Brown them a little on high heat with the butter for about 5 minutes. Try to buy the veggies frozen as well. The combo bags make it really easy, cheap and you can stock up and not worrying about them going bad. The combo bags are usually 2$ and will serve 2-3 adults.  If you have the time to buy from the local farmers market, then of course that is the best bet but stay away from processed foods like canned veggies. Never buy veggies in the can, they are soft and mushy and lack most of the vitamins. Frozen veggies actually have more vitamins than most fresh at most grocery stores because they seal in the vitamins in the freezing process while fresh veggies lose a lot of vitamins in the shipping process.

 Add in the chicken, water and cream of chicken once the veggies are done. The liquid should look as such, don't let it cover the top of the chicken but it should be up to the sides. You can add a little more water if needed. If you are making a large dinner, just double the ingredients. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer and cover until the broth has thickened. (roughly 40-60 minutes)

 Don't cook the broth all the way down to nothing, were just trying to thicken it up a little and enhance the flavor of the chicken. When it looks like this it's done!