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I love budget recipes, and I tend to collect them and save them and sometimes I even make them.

This is one of them. This recipe is adapted from the original found over at Cooking Light. As is usual, in my kitchen, I had to change it up a bunch, because well, that’s what I do.

This week’s #SundaySupper theme is budget recipes and there is a whole slew of them begin brought your way (see the bottom of the post).

This recipe is surprisingly simple and extremely low cost. The original site dubbed it under $10 for 4, but I can assure you that this recipe fed 7 of us with no problem. And the price was under $10.

The most expensive part was the chicken. We bought 5lbs for around $9 and only used half of it and froze the rest for another dinner. The brown rice was $2 for 1 bag and we made almost all of it (8 cups) – 2 cups are left for another meal. The frozen veggies were $1.00, we used them all. The cremini mushrooms were $3 for a quart, pre-sliced. I already had olive oil, garlic, onion & paprika. My thyme is growing wonderfully, so I just snipped off a sprig, but buying it at the store would have been inexpensive and could have been used for a lot of meals. I happened to have some half and half I wanted to use, so I chose that but you could use milk instead or even heavy cream if that’s what you have. Half and half is about $2.50 at our store for a quart, so that would go  long way.

Definitely under $10 for 4, but we stretched this meal to fit 7 people. I call that budget friendly!

Chicken and Brown Rice with Veggies and Mushrooms

Yield: 6 -8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 Tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups of cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup of half and half, or milk
• 4 cups uncooked brown basmati rice
• 2 cups frozen vegetables, thawed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Instructions

1. In a large pot, prepare the brown rice as directed on the packaging. Brown rice takes about 45 minutes to cook through, so be sure to start it early.
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and coat the pan. Drop in the garlic.
3. Sprinkle the paprika over the chicken. Salt and Pepper to taste.
4. Add the chicken to the olive oil and saute with the garlic for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan.
5. Place the pan back over medium high heat and add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
6. Add the onion and the cremini mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Saute the mushrooms for about 4 minutes. Add the half and half and stir.
8. Stir the vegetables, chicken and the chopped fresh thyme into the mushrooms.Heat until everything is hot and ready to go.
9. Serve the the rice on the bottom and everything else over the top.
10. The perfect, hearty meal for not a lot of cash.

Soups and Salads

• Lentil Soup {Linsensuppe} from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Gado-gado from The Urban Mrs.
• Pasta e Fagioli from Curious Cuisiniere

Main

• Bibim Nangmyun from Crispy Bits & Burnt Ends
• Salmon Lasagna from The Meltaways
• Kadun Pika from The Foodie Army Wife
• Mushroom and Artichoke Quiche with Red Pepper Puree from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Pasta Carbonara from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• San Francisco Special Breakfast Burritos from Gourmet Drizzles
• Chicken Divan from Simply Gourmet
• Chicken and Brown Rice with Veggies and Mushrooms from Daily Dish Recipes
• The Cod Puffs War  {Duelo de Buñuelos de Bacalao} from My Cute Bride
• From the Pantry Peanut Noodles from Supper for a Steal
• Pasta Puttanesca from Juanita’s Cocina
• Hawaiian Grilled Cheese from Home Cooking Memories
• Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas from I Run For Wine
• Ramping Up Instant Ramen from girlichef
• Browned Butter Pasta with Collards from Momma’s Meals
• Turkey and Acini Di Pepe Skillet from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Golden State Gourmet from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Buffalo Chicken Dip Quesadillas from Chocolate Moosey
• Tonkatsu {Pork Cutlet} from Damn Delicious
• Tarka Dal {Spicy Curry Lentils} from Food Lust People Love
• Kung Pao Tofu from Ninja Baking
• Roasted Honey Mustard Chicken from Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Four-Cheese Risotto with Turkey Italian Sausage from The Weekend Gourmet
• Three Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookie from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
• Lemon Chicken and Vegetables from The Lovely Pantry
• Salvage-Your-Vegetables Frittata from Daddy Knows Less

Sides

• English Baked Beans from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
• Southern-style Black-eyed Peas from Magnolia Days
• Classic Macaroni and Cheese from The Skinny Chick Can Bake!!!
• Baked Beans from What Smells So Good?
• Hearts of Palm Mix Rice from Basic N Delicious

Drinks and Desserts

• Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Frappe from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Portuguese Rice Pudding  {Arroz Doce} from Family Foodie

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter Sunday! We’ll tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and food photos.

Oh yeah. One more thing before you go.

P.S. Look what we’re sponsoring! Come join us in sunny Orlando, this July!

Learn more at www.foodandwineconference.com

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