Since the official start of spring is in two weeks, it’s time to start thinking about magnificent springtime dishes and flavors that just seem to go along with the season. Light and lovely dishes with the ingredients like lemon and fresh herbs are always popular choices.
Since chicken is so versatile, it’s the perfect canvas for a beautiful meal. Super easy to prepare, chicken breast halves can be on the table in a matter of minutes.
When pounding chicken breasts, keep in mind that you want a uniform thickness throughout. If the pieces are very large, the thickest part will never get very thin. In that case, butterfly the breast halves first and then pound lightly.
If you are unfamiliar with deglazing, it simply means to add a liquid like stock, juice or wine to pan drippings for the purpose of loosening all of the yummy browned bits, also known as fond, from the bottom of the pan.
If you love cooking with wine, bur don’t want to buy a huge bottle, Aspen Liquor carries small bottles that are very reasonably priced.
- 4 chicken breast halves
- Lemon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Lemon slices
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 13x9 inching baking dish.
Between sheets of plastic wrap, pound chicken to an even thickness of 1/4 inch. Season one side with lemon pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil. Place the chicken, seasoned side down and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Be sure to season the side that is facing up in the skillet with more lemon pepper before turning. Turn chicken and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer chicken to prepared baking dish.
Reserve 2 tablespoons of drippings in skillet. Turn heat to medium; add wine, chicken broth and lemon juice. Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to scrape browned bits from bottom of pan. Turn heat to high, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes until slightly reduced.
Pour sauce over chicken in pan and top each with a slice of lemon. Bake for30-35 minutes or until chicken is done and an instant read thermometer inserted in middle registers 165 degrees. Cover chicken with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle chopped parsley over all and serve.
Makes 4 servings
Comments