Chicken Stroganoff - Video Recipe

A cheaper and tastier twist on Beef Stroganoff, this birdy entree is plucked from The 99 Cent Chef's nest of recipes. Try it, and see how much scratch you save! The cheapest chef is too chintzy to use beef in his Stroganoff. 

Originating in 19th century Russia, this creamy meat sauce has spread all around the world, with adjustments to local tastes. I make my own cheap$kate adjustments that still keep this dish flavorful.

And sauteed mushrooms with tender chicken make a decadent sauce when sour cream is added.

So, where's the beef? It's way over 99 cents per pound, and I've found that both chicken and ground turkey make a lighter and cheaper substitution.  I've made a scrumptious Salisbury Steak with ground turkey; and a round steak Southern classic, Chicken Fried Steak, with real ground chicken! So, you see, it's easy to cut corners and still create delicious budget recipes.

I often find whole (or split bone-in) chicken breast meat on sale for about 99 cents per pound. And, while this recipe calls for sour cream, you will only use 4 tablespoons, so you can get a small container.
 
As for mushrooms, my local 99c only Store carries white button, brown Crimini, and large Portabella varieties -- and most regular markets have sale days, offering small packages of mushrooms for around a dollar. If you don't want to spring for a package, just get a handful of loose mushrooms for this recipe.

 My Chicken Stroganoff is one lush entree. Some recipes leave out Dijon mustard, but you should use it if you have it - it adds a tangy level of taste to the cream sauce. I also used a small 99.99-cent bottle of white wine for some added sweetness -- you could substitute vegetable or chicken broth.

Another advantage of using chicken breast is that it cooks in a quarter of the time, and is much leaner. The typical cut of beef in a Stroganoff takes at least 30 minutes of simmering to tenderize.

My video recipe below offers easy step-by-step instructions. And, like my Beanie Weenies recipe from last month, I use stop-motion animation to amp up the visual playfulness: heaping spoons of rich sour cream - check; a line of dancing mushrooms - check; tender chicken breast meat peeled off the bone - check; animating chicken skin - yuck !
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Chicken Stroganoff - Video

Play it here. The video runs 2 minutes 42 seconds. 

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients (2-3 servings)

• 1/2 to 1 whole chicken breast - cubed into bite-sized pieces. Okay, to use dark meat -- it's harder to remove from the bone, but on the plus side, dark meat is cheaper.
• 4 tablespoons sour cream - lite or regular. Add more or less to taste.
• 1 cup white wine - optional. Okay to substitute with water, vegetable, or chicken stock (or, a bouillon cube dissolved in one cup of water.)
• 5-ounce package of mushrooms - halved. I used brown Crimini, okay to use any local mushroom on sale.
• 1 whole small onion - white or yellow, chopped.
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard - or regular mustard.
• 1 tablespoon of oil for sauteing chicken.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Serve with Egg Noodles, pasta, rice, or steamed vegetables.

Directions
Remove chicken and chicken skin from the breastbone.  Okay to discard skin, although I like to sautee it with the chicken meat for extra flavor (I would discard skin after the meat is lightly browned.) Slice chicken meat into bite-sized cubes. Breast meat is easy to remove, just slice down the length of the center breastbone, and see how nicely the meat comes off.

Heat a large saute pan or pot to medium heat, and add oil. Cook chicken breast until lightly browned - no need to overcook it, as chicken breast dries out easily. Cook for about 5 minutes, depending on heat. You will finish cooking it at the last step when the wine and sour cream are added.

While the chicken is cooking, chop onion and mushrooms. I like to chop mushrooms in half, leaving the pieces large and meaty. Remove chicken after about five minutes, and add onions and mushrooms to the pan. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, until onions are starting to lightly brown and caramelize.

After the onions and mushrooms are softened, return the cooked chicken to the pan. Deglaze the pan with one cup of white wine, chicken or vegetable stock. Scrape the tasty caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Salt and pepper to taste (I would use very little salt if you use a chicken bouillon cube.)

Add 4 heaping tablespoons of sour cream, mixing well. Finally, add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard or a teaspoon of dried mustard. Allow Stroganoff sauce to heat up to a low simmer - don't boil sauce or sour cream will curdle and separate.  Cook at low/medium heat for about 5-10 minutes until the chicken heats up and finishes cooking. It's done when the largest chicken piece is cooked through -- just slice it into a piece to make sure there is no pink or red color.

Stroganoff is traditionally served over egg noodles, but white or brown rice is okay, too. I've also tried it over steamed veggies.