Dinner Time - Citrus Chicken Breasts

This is delicious. I've only made it 2 times....but I have had the recipe for years. I kept flipping past it because 1) it had too many ingredients and 2) the blend of ingredients seemed odd and I just never actually felt inspired to give it a shot. However the thing with me and cooking is I'll always at least TRY to make something. The the "TRY" isn't emphasized because of the actual skill in cooking necessarily (though some recipes are intimidating for that fact) but it's more because of flavors. You never know though until you do TRY it. So, that's my encouragement for the day. Don't be intimidated by a recipe because of uncommon flavors or seemingly odd techniques. Just go for it and you never know....it may turn out to be a favorite in your house!

Level: Simple.
Prep time: 15 minutes. (Plus 1 hour chilled marinade time)
Cook time: 35 minutes. (give or take)
Serves: 4.

INGREDIENTS

4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger (TIP: use either the back of a spoon to 'peel' the skin off the ginger or use a small pearing knife...don't try to use an actual veg. peeler which is way too cumbersome for this task.) (also, keep leftover ginger in a baggie, freezer safe, in the freezer. Fresh ginger tends to spoil quickly)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel (We thankfully received one of those huge spice racks for our wedding ... and fennel seeds (unground) were included. Well last Christmas my mother in law gave me a mini mortar-pestol to grind my own spices. This came in handy for the fennel here. See pics below)
4 (1/4 lb) bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned. (I just use whatever type of chicken I have on hand or that is on sale .... and it turned out fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
4 teaspoons e.v olive oil
1 small shallot finely chopped
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil.

MARINADE

Combine 1/2 of the garlic, the soy sauce, ginger, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon orange zest and fennel in medium bowl. Mix well and coat chicken. Cover and refigerate 1 hour.

COOK

Preheat oven to 450º and spray a roasting pan with nonstick spray. Remove chicken from marinade; sprinkle with salt and pepper (just a pinch). Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken (skinned side down, if you used that kind of chicken) and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Turn chicken and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to the roasting pan and cook until instant read thermometer reads 170ºF, about 20-23 minutes. (me personally, I use smaller portions of chicken so that it lasts longer for left overs so my cooking time varies and is often shorter than they say).

Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in skillet (same skillet) and add remaining garlic and shallot, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Cook until mixture reduces to about 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining orange and lemon zest, salt, pepper, and basil. Serve chicken with sauce.

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I made couscous (super easy whole wheat couscous from Trader Joes in a box, takes about 5 minutes to make) and put the sauce/chicken over the couscous and it soaked up all the flavor, it was so delicous.

So give it a try if you like! Just thought I'd share :)


All mixed and in the marinade. Looks funky I know, but will be so good!

Fennel and mortar/pestol all ready to go...

Grinding away...

There we go! Not bad!


Oh and P.S., I couldn't resist a bite or two of my leftover blueberry crumb cake I made over the weekend. Is it against the rules to take bites of left over dessert while making dinner? I think not! :) Recipe for the cake coming next...