What do you do if the garden limits your bounty?

Last week, I had a friend who wanted to share the magic of their fresh garden peas with a crowd. The problem, faced by many gardners throughout the summer, was that he really only had a single cup of fresh peas. Not enough for a side dish for more than two people.

My solution was simple.

Make an entree dish that is mellow enough to showcase those peas but hearty and delicious enough to appease a crowd for supper.

Mushrooms and chicken can be a great backdrop for many a garden vegetable, and this dish is a fast and easy way to put them all together.

If you have just one ear of corn, two or three carrots or one zucchini and you’ve got a group to feed, think about using them in this dish in place of the peas. (Just make sure you soften those carrot pieces in the microwave before you add them to the dish.)

It’s a simple way to highlight your vegetables, even if the garden yield is a bit low—and you can change it up with different vegetables or a combination of what’s waiting to be used.

I made this yesterday in 40 minutes including cooking time and it fed a hungry crowd of eight for dinner. If you serve it over noodles or wild rice, it can stretch even further.

Chicken with Mushrooms and Thyme

(if your skillet is not a non-stick skillet, you will have to use more butter. If it is non-stick, things will brown well with just a touch of butter—don’t use cooking spray in a Teflon coated pan as it will leave a gummy residue on the pan.)

2 lbs. Boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces button mushroom slices
8 ounces baby portabella mushroom slices
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves or 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons complete seasoning, such as Badia Complete, divided
4 Tablespoons butter, divided
2 shallots, minced
2 Tablespoons flour
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh peas
salt and pepper to taste 

Toss the chicken pieces in 1 teaspoon of complete seasoning to coat them all. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Set them aside. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, brown the button mushroom slices with 1 tablespoon butter. Add the portabella mushrooms and another tablespoon of butter. Stir the thyme, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the complete seasoning into the mushroom mixture and cook, stirring until the liquid is cooked off of all the mushrooms. Remove the mushrooms to a casserole dish. Add the chicken pieces to the hot skillet and cook them until they are browned on all sides. You may have to do this in batches. If so, brown the first batch and add to the mushrooms in the casserole dish and continue with the next batch. Once you have all the chicken cooked and in the casserole, add the last 2 Tablespoons of butter to the skillet with the shallots and cook the shallots just until they are soft. Stir the flour into the shallots and butter. Cook, stirring, until the flour is evenly distributed and golden brown. Gradually add the white wine and chicken stock, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened. Add the cream and peas and stir to combine. Check the flavor and add salt and pepper if necessary. Pour the sauce with the peas over the chicken and mushrooms and stir the whole thing so everything is combined in the casserole dish. Put the dish into the oven for 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.