In my book, Food Network host Robin Miller often has the right idea. Her roll-over meal-planning concept is incredibly CHG-friendly; basically, she constructs weekly meal plans that depend heavily on incorporating re-purposed leftovers into different flavor profiles. Since Monday's roast chicken is Thursday's chicken fajitas, your family won't be sick of the chick by week's end.
I mined this recipe as a fast-and-easy one-off. As I recall, my ornery impetus was that a) it was 7pm, b) Jeff and I were both crazy hungry, and c) I refused to make a meal using anything that would require a supermarket trip.
Sometimes, even we--the worst of the procrastinators--can eat well when we're under the gun.
Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Capers and Artichoke Hearts
Make 4 servings.
(adapted from Robin Miller's recipe, and with thanks to the Food Network)
4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, quartered
1/4 cup drained capers
1) Zip chicken into a plastic bag, making sure to squeeze the air out. Pound with a heavy object until each breast is about 1/4-inch thick. Remove and season with salt and pepper.
2) In a medium-sized dish or shallow bowl mix flour, lemon zest, paprika, and garlic powder. Coat chicken with mixture, and place on a separate plate, gently shaking off any extra flour.
3) In a large skillet, heat oil in over medium-high heat. Cook chicken about 2 minutes on either side, until coating is golden brown and poultry is almost done. Pour in lemon juice, wine, and broth and simmer about 5 minutes. When finished, chicken should be totally cooked and sauce will be thick. Add artichoke hearts and capers and heat through, about a minute.
[Note: Once you get to the simmering phase, the cooking times are a little variable. In my kitchen, the sauce-thickening takes closer to 8 minutes, and since my previously frozen artichokes were still chilly from their thaw, they took closer to 6 minutes to warm through.]
[Other Note: Robin recommends a brown rice and lima bean combo as the starch for under this dish. Instead, I've often used left-over pesto-roasted potatoes, or 2 oz. of whole wheat orzo and 1/3 cup of frozen peas. If choosing the latter, the orzo/peas spent half their prep time in water, and half in chicken broth to enhance flavor. It's not that Robin's idea isn't awesome; I just opted for my alternatives simply because--you guessed it--they were in my pantry.]
Approximate Calories, Fat, Weight Watchers Points Value and Price per Serving
about 273 calories, about 5.9g fat, Points Value: 4, $2.13
Calculations
4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves: 480 calories, 6g fat, $3.69
Salt and ground black pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1/4 cup all-purpose flour: 120 calories, .5g fat, $0.05
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest/1/4 cup fresh lemon juice: 20 calories, 0g fat, $0.66
1/2 teaspoon paprika: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1 tablespoon olive oil: 119 calories, 13.5g fat, $0.08
1/2 cup dry white wine: 96 calories, 0 g fat, $0.54
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (using Better Than Bouillon, and using 1/2 cup for orzo/pea prep): 10 calories, 0g fat, $0.16
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, quartered: 240 calories, 3g fat, $1.50
1/4 cup drained capers: 8 calories, .4g fat, $1.79
TOTAL: 1093 calories, 23.4g fat, $8.53
PER SERVING (TOTAL/3): about 273.25 calories, about 5.9g fat, $2.13
Guest Post From Rachel, The CHG Gourmet: Chicken Piccata
Reviewed by jembe
Published :
Rating : 4.5
Published :
Rating : 4.5
