Showing posts with label Chicken breasts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken breasts. Show all posts
We are terribly fond of chicken here in The English Kitchen. I think it is the one protein that we eat the most of and we probably have it at least twice a week.
We may have a red meat once a week, or probably even less than that . . . and we always have fish at least once as well . . . but chicken, well, it's a real mainstay in our kitchen.
More often than not, I will serve Chicken Breasts. Chicken was not something we had very often when I was growing up.
More often than not, I will serve Chicken Breasts. Chicken was not something we had very often when I was growing up.
Occasionally my mother would do a Roast Chicken as a treat . . . and every once in a Blue Moon she would cook Maryland Fried Chicken, which we loved. It was Chicken Breasts, dipped in egg and cracker crumbs and then fried.
When that was on the menu, we knew were in for a real treat! Chicken used to be a lot more expensive in the olden days.
Nowadays it's fairly affordable, depending on which type you buy. If you are not bothered as to it's source or the ethics of responsible rearing, well then you could probably eat chicken every night of the week, coz that kind of chicken is cheap as chips.
Nowadays it's fairly affordable, depending on which type you buy. If you are not bothered as to it's source or the ethics of responsible rearing, well then you could probably eat chicken every night of the week, coz that kind of chicken is cheap as chips.
I am a bit more bothered about these things. My husband worked on a Battery Chicken Egg Farm in Germany when he as younger for a short time and it was more than he could stomach . . .
I have a real heart for animal cruelty and so I don't have a stomach for eating any kind of meat that's not raised according to high standards of animal welfare . . . so we eat chicken about two or three times a week, and it's always free range.
I know if I had a large family to feed it might be different, but for now it's just us two here, and I can afford to pay a bit more. I know not everyone has that option.
I know if I had a large family to feed it might be different, but for now it's just us two here, and I can afford to pay a bit more. I know not everyone has that option.
I love chicken breasts because they are like a blank canvas just waiting to be written upon.
They take to so many different flavours and styles of cooking . . . and as long as you don't overcook them, they make a pretty good basis for a delicious supper.
Today I cooked them a la Cordon Bleu. I know . . . which interestingly enough is not to be confused with the French Cooking School of the same name.
Today I cooked them a la Cordon Bleu. I know . . . which interestingly enough is not to be confused with the French Cooking School of the same name.
Cordon Bleu actually originated in Switzerland . . . and was done using veal cutlets, stuffed with cheese and ham.
Chicken Cordon Bleu is, I believe . . . an American invention. Cordon Bleu merely means Blue Ribbon . . . and this is my blue ribbon chicken!
I broke all the rules of course. But I think I have made it better. I rolled the ham around the cheese, a good Swiss Emmenthal in this case, and then I cut a pocket into the chicken breast and stuffed it inside.
I broke all the rules of course. But I think I have made it better. I rolled the ham around the cheese, a good Swiss Emmenthal in this case, and then I cut a pocket into the chicken breast and stuffed it inside.
No risk of the cheese oozing out because it's inside the ham. I also happen to believe that if you can cut through the fibres of a chicken breast like that . . . you are going to have one very tender chicken breast.
I could be wrong, don't quote me on that . . . I only know for sure that it seems to work.
That was the only rule I broke though. I then floured, egged and crumbed it as per normal, or pané (pan-aaaa) as it was called in Culinary School.
That was the only rule I broke though. I then floured, egged and crumbed it as per normal, or pané (pan-aaaa) as it was called in Culinary School.
I added butter to the crumbs ahead of time so that I wouldn't have to fry them, and then I baked them for a few minutes at a high temperature, and then finished them off at a lower temperature.
The end result . . . perfectly cooked Chicken Cordon Bleu . . . crisply crumbed on the outside, moist and tender on the insides and chock full of oozing cheese and ham.
In short. Fabulous. But don't take my word for it.
The end result . . . perfectly cooked Chicken Cordon Bleu . . . crisply crumbed on the outside, moist and tender on the insides and chock full of oozing cheese and ham.
In short. Fabulous. But don't take my word for it.
Try them out yourself and see if I'm not telling the truth. ☺
*Simple Chicken Cordon Bleu*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe
A traditionally complicated dish, simplified. Delicious and quite easy really!
25 buttery round crackers
4 slices of sourdough bread
6 TBS butter, melted
8 thin slices of deli ham
8 ounces of emmenthaler cheese, grated (about 2 cups, Swiss)
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I like to use free range chicken)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large free range eggs
2 TBS Dijon mustard
100g of plain flour (about 1 cup)
Preheat the oven 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Have ready a large baking tray with a lip. Stir together about 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper in a small bowl.
Put the crackers into a food processor and blitz until they are coarsely ground. Dump into a bowl. Do the same with the bread, dumping it into the same bowl. Pour the melted butter over all and toss together. Spread the crumb mixture out over the baking tray. Bake them in the hot oven, stirring them from time to time, until golden brown. This can take anywhere between 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a shallow bowl. Set the tray aside.
Wash your chicken breasts, pat dry and then cut a deep pocket in the thickest part of the breast, with a sharp knife, making an opening of about 3 inches, sliding the knife carefully inside to create the cavity without cutting through the meat to the back or the bottom. Lay your slices of ham out on a board. Top each slice with 1/8th of the grated cheese (about 1/4 cup), then roll the ham tightly around it to cover the cheese completely. Stuff two of these ham rolls in each cavity of the chicken.
Beat the eggs, together with the mustard, in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in another shallow bowl. You should have three shallow bowls laid out. Place them in this order: Flour, Eggs and then finally bread crumbs. Season each chicken breast all over with some of the salt and pepper mix. Roll each in the flour, then dip into the egg to coat, finally rolling each in the toasted crumbs, pressing the crumbs on to help them adhere. Place them onto a clean baking sheet, when done, leaving a bit of space between each. (At this point you could refrigerate them until you are ready to bake them if you wished.)
Place them into the heated oven and bake for 10 minutes at the higher temperature. Reduce the oven heat to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6, and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the chicken juices run clear when it is pierced with a fork. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil. Allow to rest for five minutes before serving.
*Simple Chicken Cordon Bleu*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe
A traditionally complicated dish, simplified. Delicious and quite easy really!
25 buttery round crackers
4 slices of sourdough bread
6 TBS butter, melted
8 thin slices of deli ham
8 ounces of emmenthaler cheese, grated (about 2 cups, Swiss)
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I like to use free range chicken)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large free range eggs
2 TBS Dijon mustard
100g of plain flour (about 1 cup)
Preheat the oven 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Have ready a large baking tray with a lip. Stir together about 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper in a small bowl.
Put the crackers into a food processor and blitz until they are coarsely ground. Dump into a bowl. Do the same with the bread, dumping it into the same bowl. Pour the melted butter over all and toss together. Spread the crumb mixture out over the baking tray. Bake them in the hot oven, stirring them from time to time, until golden brown. This can take anywhere between 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a shallow bowl. Set the tray aside.
Wash your chicken breasts, pat dry and then cut a deep pocket in the thickest part of the breast, with a sharp knife, making an opening of about 3 inches, sliding the knife carefully inside to create the cavity without cutting through the meat to the back or the bottom. Lay your slices of ham out on a board. Top each slice with 1/8th of the grated cheese (about 1/4 cup), then roll the ham tightly around it to cover the cheese completely. Stuff two of these ham rolls in each cavity of the chicken.
Beat the eggs, together with the mustard, in a shallow bowl. Place the flour in another shallow bowl. You should have three shallow bowls laid out. Place them in this order: Flour, Eggs and then finally bread crumbs. Season each chicken breast all over with some of the salt and pepper mix. Roll each in the flour, then dip into the egg to coat, finally rolling each in the toasted crumbs, pressing the crumbs on to help them adhere. Place them onto a clean baking sheet, when done, leaving a bit of space between each. (At this point you could refrigerate them until you are ready to bake them if you wished.)
Place them into the heated oven and bake for 10 minutes at the higher temperature. Reduce the oven heat to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6, and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the chicken juices run clear when it is pierced with a fork. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil. Allow to rest for five minutes before serving.
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We eat a lot of chicken in my house. We really like chicken. It is incredibly versatile, and most of the time it is pretty affordable.
In today's economy that counts for a lot. I never find it boring because I have about a bazillion delicious ways to use it, like this recipe I am sharing with you here today for rice krispie coated chicken!
The kids are sure to love this one!
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
I was largely inspired in this by a recipe I found in a cookery book entitled, Recipes From My Mother for my Daughter, by Lisa Faulkner. I did adapt it to our own tastes and to what we enjoy.
For those of you who are not familiar with her, Lisa Faulkner is a British Television Presenter and actress. She also won the Celebrity MasterChef series in 2010, and is married to the Australian Celebrity Chef, John Torrode.
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
This is a fabulous recipe that, on its own, is quite delicious. It is also very adaptable to a variety of flavors and seasonings. Crispy coated chicken is something most people love.
Today I used lemon pepper seasoning to spice mine up, but you can keep it old school and simple, or add a curry seasoning if that is what you enjoy, chili seasoning, etc.
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
You can make it ahead and freeze it, ready to take out and reheat when you want a quick and easy supper. Although I live in a smaller household, I always make a full batch, just for this purpose.
After cooking, I pop the excess chicken into an airtight freezer container. You can put a piece of grease proof paper in between layers if you wish to keep them separated.
That way I can take out as many or as few as I need at any given time, ready to pop into a hot oven (400*F/200*C/gas mark 6) and reheat.
Much better than any frozen chicken fingers you can buy in the shops!
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE RICE KRISPIE CHICKEN
Simple everyday ingredients. I almost always have these things in my store cupboard and larder.
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
- 10 cups (250g) crisp rice cereal, lightly crushed
- 1 cup (220g) good quality mayonnaise
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon pepper herb seasoning
- salt to taste
To serve:
- mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, sweet chili sauce, ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, BBQ sauce,etc. for dipping
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
But there is so much more you can do with it than just these basic ingredients. There is an enormous variety of flavored mayonnaises on the market today . . . garlic, lemon, caramelized onion, sweet chili, etc. Those alone would make a delicious version.
There are all sorts of herbs that would be fabulous as well, if you are not fond of lemon pepper seasoning, and I appreciate that not everybody is.
Thyme, marjoram, tarragon . . . the tarragon would be especially good with the lemon mayonnaise, and I can see the thyme going well with a garlic mayonnaise. Chili powder would be fabulous with an onion or a garlic mayonnaise.
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
HOW TO MAKE RICE KRISPIE CHICKEN
Nothing could be simpler. Start by preheating the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Lightly grease a large baking tray, or line with baking parchment.
Put the cereal into a large bowl and crush.
Put the mayonnaise into a shallow bowl along with the mustard and seasonings. Mix well together. Put about half the crispies into another shallow bowl.
Cut the chicken into thick strips.
Coat the chicken strips first in the mayonnaise mixture and then roll them into the cereal (adding more cereal as you need).
Place the coated chicken pieces onto the prepared baking tray. Season lightly with salt if desired. Bake in the heated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, turning them over halfway through the bake time.
Serve hot with more mayonnaise, ranch dressing, sweet chili sauce, barbeque sauce, or your favorite sauce or dressing for dipping.
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
The end result of this quick and easy recipe is a delicious chicken, that is moist and tender inside, but crisp and crunchy on the outside. Perfect for dipping. Children love this, and I confess, I love to eat it with a salad and drizzle the dip/dressing over everything!
Some other quick and easy chicken recipes you might enjoy are:
Swiss Style Chicken. Filled with lovely flavours. This is a very simple dish. Tender moist chicken topped with a creamy mushroom sauce and gruyere cheese. Delicious served with baby peas and homemade roasted oven wedges.
Mediterranean Chicken Bites Mediterranean Chicken bites is a delicious, quick and easy way to get your chicken fix, mid-week. This chicken always turns out tender and is fabulously tasty.
Not only that but it is quick, quick, QUICK to make! Aside from the initial time of marinating the chicken, the cook time is a short 10 minutes. That's because the chicken is cut into small, tasty bites.
Rice Krispie Chicken
Yield: 4
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 27 MinTotal time: 37 Min
Sliced chicken breast is rolled in zippy seasoned mayonnaise and crushed crisp rice cereal and then baked to dipping perfection!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
- 10 cups (250g) crisp rice cereal, lightly crushed
- 1 cup (220g) good quality mayonnaise
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon pepper herb seasoning
- salt to taste
To serve:
- mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, sweet chili sauce, ranch dressing, BBQ sauce,etc. for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Lightly grease a large baking tray, or line with baking parchment.
- Put the cereal into a large bowl and crush.
- Put the mayonnaise into a shallow bowl along with the mustard and seasonings. Mix well together.
- Put about half the crispies into another shallow bowl.
- Cut the chicken into thick strips.
- Coat the chicken strips first in the mayonnaise mixture and then roll them into the cereal (adding more cereal as you need).
- Place the dipped chicken pieces onto the prepared baking tray. Season lightly with salt if desired.
- Bake in the heated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, turning them over halfway through the bake time.
- Serve hot with more mayonnaise, ranch dressing, sweet chili sauce or barbeque sauce for dipping.
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We do eat rather a lot of chicken in this house. We quite like it and I like the breast meat most of all, but it can be rather tasteless sometimes and has a tendency to dry out more than the rest I suppose . . .
That is why it lends itself well to sauces and such. A good chicken breast is rather like a canvas waiting to be painted upon . . .
I do find that the quality of chicken you buy really makes a difference in the flavor. I like to buy free range whenever I can.
I prefer my chicken breasts with parts of the bone still attached, which helps to keep them moist I think, but the other day I decided I was going to try brining them in a simple salt and water brine, only for a short time . . . just to see if it made a difference and . . . guess what?
It worked beautifully . . . these chicken breasts were deliciously moist and tender. I covered them with a tasty herbed crumb and baked them in a mix of chicken stock and butter until the juices ran clear . . .
Then I turned those pan juices into a delicious gravy which was absolutely wonderful spooned over mounds of mashed potatoes, and of course with that tender flavourful chicken. It was quite a delicious meal actually. I will do this again! It's amazing what a little salt bath can do.
I wonder if it would work on me? ☺ You never know.
I also have my eye on this delicious looking chicken breast recipe. Creamy Garlic Chicken. There is something about the combination of garlic and chicken which really sings the song of my heart and it looks fabulous!
*Country Baked Chicken*
Serves 4
4 TBS fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried sage
6 TBS melted butter
1 cup chicken stock
To finish:
2 TBS flour, shaken with 1/2 cup milk
Place
the chicken into a bowl and cover it with cold water. Stir in the 2
tsp of salt and swiish it around. Let the chicken sit in the salted
water for half an hour or so. At the end of that time, drain the
chicken very well and dry with some paper towels.
Preheat the 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
Preheat the 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
Place
4 TBS of the melted butter in a baking dish large enough to hold all
the chicken pieces. Add the chicken breasts and stir them around to
coat the chicken. Arrange bone side down in the dish. Mix together the
bread crumbs, salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, and sage. Sprinkle this
mixture over top of the chicken pieces. Dot with the remaining butter.
Pour the cup of chicken stock into the baking dish from the edge of the
dish so that the stock fills the bottom without touching the crumbs.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken
juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove the chicken pieces to
a heated platter and tent lightly to keep warm, without steaming.
Serve the chicken and pass the gravy on the side. Mashed potatoes go very well with this, as well as some veg and or salad on the side.
Some other chicken recipes here in my kitchen that you might enjoy are:
BUNDT PAN ROAST CHICKEN - A deliciously different way of roasting chicken that will have your family licking their chops every time! The end result is flavour-filled, perfectly cooked chicken and beautifully glazed and roasted vegetables.
CAST IRON LEMON & ROSEMARY CHICKEN - Crispy skinned with juicy, flavor filled, and tender meat. Roast Chicken . . . there is nothing quite like it. This fabulous cast iron oven chicken is a wonderful take on that theme and cooks in a fraction of the time. Do be warned however, the chicken needs to be brined overnight, but trust me when I tell you it is worth every minute of waiting.
My sister Cindy is a bit of a healthy nut (Flat Belly Files), in a very good way of course. She's been talking to me about the health benefits of coconut oil over the past weeks and so recently I bought some to try out for myself. She only uses coconut oil, and even makes biscuits with them.
The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.
She eats lots of grains and sprouts her own lentils, makes her own yoghurt . . . eats lots of fruits and fresh veg, etc. all organic . . . and, I have to admit it shows . . . for a woman of 54, she is in incredibly good shape and is very fit. So . . . I bought some organic virgin coconut oil for myself.
It is purpoted to be one of the healthiest of oils and superfoods, and is ideal to be used as a high temperature cooking oil as it can be heated to much higher temperatures than normal oil. I also heard it makes really good popcorn!
I decided to use it in this baked chicken recipe of mine, which I think is fairly healthy . . . except for the fat bit. Normally I would use butter for this . . . but on this day I used coconut oil, which went really well with the other elements of the dish.
I like to use free range, organic boneless skinless chicken breasts. (I know you don't need to use these, but if I am eating meat or chicken, I want it to be happy meat or chicken. To me it just tastes better.)
I pounded them just a bit to make them a bit more tender . . . and then lightly spiced them with a medium strength curry powder, some fine seasalt and black pepper . . .
Then I dipped them into some coconut oil and rolled them in a mixture of crushed flaked almonds and flaked unsweetened coconut.
Baked for 20 minutes, they came out perfectly moist and delicious.
The coconut oil only slightly flavoured them, but in a good way . . . not overpowering at all . . . and the nuts and coconut got nicely browned and gave a nice bit of crunch!! Probably a lot more nutritious than bread crumbs too . . . with plenty of protein and texture.
I served them with a simple sweet and spicy mayo that I made by stirring together some low fat Hellman's and a really good Mango Chutney. (I like Geeta's Premium myself.)
What can I say . . . Yummy Scrummy! I am looking forward to experimenting even more with it now . . . the coconut oil that is. I'll keep you all posted!
*Almond and Coconut Crusted Chicken with a Sweet and Spicy Mayo Dip* Serves 2 Printable Recipe If you like coconut, you will love this. Moist chicken with a crisp and coconutty crust, served up with a spicy sweet mayo on the side. 60g of flaked almonds, crushed (about 1/3 cup) 25g of flaked coconut, not the sweetened kind (about 1/3 cup) 1/4 tsp of medium strength curry powder fine seasalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 large boneless skinless chicken breast portions, at room temperature 1 heaped dessert spoon of coconut oil, melted For the dip: 2 dessert spoons of low fat or no fat mayonnaise 1 dessert spoon of mango chutney (use a good quality one) Preheat the oven to 200*C/ 400*D/ gas mark 6. Butter a small shallow baking dish, and set aside. Mix together the crushed almonds and coconut in a shallow bowl. Put the melted coconut oil in another one. Place the chicken breasts into a ziplock baggie and bash them a bit with a rolling pin to give you an equal thickness and to tenderize them. (Don't over do this stage. You don't want them to be over large, just more even.) Mix together the curry powder, salt and pepper. Pat the chicken breasts dry and then season them all over with the spice mixture. Dip the chicken into the coconut oil, allowing any excess to drip off. Dredge in the coconut/almond mixture. Place into the prepared baking dish, leaving space between each. Sprinkle any remaining coconut and nuts over top and then drizzle with any remaining coconut oil. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. The juices should run clear. While the chicken is cooking, stir together the mayonnaise and chutney until well mixed. Serve the hot chicken breasts with some of the chutney mayo on the side. |
You've probably noticed by now that we eat a lot of chicken in this house. I am sure we eat it at least 2 or 3 times a week in at least one form or another.
I like to buy whole chickens and cut them up myself. It's not all that hard to do really and you can really save a lot of money by doing it yourself!
This is a really good video showing you how to do just that. I had contemplated doing one myself, but this lady does it very well and I just figured . . . why mess with success!
I always pack the parts together into separate freezer bags . . . one for legs, one for breasts and one for the wings and the backs ( to be used to make stock when I get enough of them.) I usually buy two or three chickens at a time.
I completely bone out about half of the breasts, and then I leave the bone and skin on the other half. Nothing tastes better or is moister than chicken breasts which are roasted on the bone with the skin intact.
This is a delicious marinade that I like to use when I am roasting them on the bone. It's nicely flavoured with lemon, garlic and a variety of herbs.
You don't really need to let them marinate for that long, about an hour will do it . . . but of course the longer you marinate them the more flavour will be imparted from the herbs into the chicken.
Keeping the skin on helps to keep the herbs next to the flesh and also to keep in a lot of that moisture. I've eaten far too many dried up chicken breasts in my lifetime.
There is a fine line when cooking boneless chicken breasts between perfect and dried out as heck!
This recipe is also very easily cut in half when there are just two of you, like there is with me and my husband.
When I am only cooking two, I like to cut some potatoes into wedges, toss them with some spices and a bit of olive oil and roast them right along with the chicken.
Oh my . . . but it all tastes so very good at the end!!
Just look at that moist chicken meat. So tender and flavourful. I would have to say that this is one of my absolute favourite ways to eat it.
Oh yes . . . Nom Nom!!
Herb and Lemon Roasted Chicken Breasts
Yield: 4
Prep time: 1 H & 15 MCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 5 MinTotal time: 1 H & 50 M
This is a delicious way of preparing chicken breasts which keeps them moist and very flavourful. I like to buy whole chickens and cut them up myself. Plan ahead as the chicken needs to marinate for about an hour before cooking
Ingredients
- 4 bone in chicken breasts, skin on (you can do this yourself, or ask your butcher to do it for you)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) of extra virgin olive oil
- the finely grated zest of two unwaxed lemons (cut the remainder of the lemons into thin slices and set aside)
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 4 TBS finely chopped fresh chives
- 4 TBS finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 4 TBS finely chopped fresh tarragon
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix together the olive oil, lemon zest and minced garlic. Remove the leaves from the thyme and rosemary and mince. Stir them into the olive oil along with the chives, parsley and tarragon. Mix all very well together.
- Lift the skin from the chicken breasts and rub half of the herb mixture underneath and replace the skin over top. Rub the remainder of the herb mixture over all of the chicken.
- Lay each breast in a flat plastic container, placing each one on top of two lemon slices. Lay another two lemon slices on top of each breast. Cover and chill for about an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 5. Have ready a shallow baking dish. Place the chicken breasts into the dish, keeping the lemon slices on the bottom of each breast and the slices on top of each breast. Sprinkle with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Roast in the heated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through, with the juices running clear and the skin is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving. These go very well with oven roasted potato wedges and purple sprouting broccoli. I sometimes roast the potato wedges in the pan with the chicken, which gives them a fabulous flavour as well. Delicious!
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I found myself with some chicken breasts and a few vegetables that needed using up today and so I was racking my brains trying to think of something that I could do with them.
I was wanting a simple supper and yet healthy at the same time. I can be rather lazy at times. I don't always want to spend hours in the kitchen, and I am sure you often feel the same way!
Besides some carrots, parsnips and new potatoes, I also had leeks and some beautiful Asparagus.
Oh, how I love fresh Asparagus in the springtime. We are not quite there yet in Canada, but another month or so should bring our fresh asparagus into season.
I got rather spoiled living in the UK. Britain raises some of the tastiest and best Asparagus in the world, and that's no lie!!
I used to wait all year for Asparagus season. Generally it ran from about the end of April to the latter part of June. Not long enough!! But well worth the wait.
I love asparagus. Crisp, delicious, fat free and full of fiber and folic acid, it’s great for the heart, boosts your immune system and cancer defense's, great for skin, nails and hair! It's also very versatile.
I found 8 fun facts about asparagus that you might enjoy reading. You can find them here.
Because it grows in sandy soil, Asparagus needs to be well washed. That might put some people off, but that's no chore to me. I don't mind at all.
Once washed, I always like to trim off those pointy side shoot thingies. They can sometimes be a bit bitter. I just take a sharp knife and pull them off.
Then I snap off the bottom woody bits, and discard them. Its easy to do. Just grab the asparagus and gently bend it by holding it in your two hands. It will usually snap off right where it needs to.
Once that is done, I am ready to rock!
Steamed, it is delicious served with hollandaise sauce, of if that intimidates you, try a simple mixture of melted butter and lemon juice.
My favourite way to eat it is roasted. I toss it with some olive oil, salt and pepper and roast it for about 11 minutes in a hot oven. Once out, I drizzle it with some white balsamic and a dusting of Parmesan cheese.
Oh my but it is some good. You can also try rolling it in mayonnaise and parmesan and roasting in a hot oven. Deeeeeeelicious!!!
Today I roasted it with a simple mix of vegetables and some chicken. I planned on serving it with a creamy chive sauce. Oh my, my tastes buds were tingling just at the thought.
The root vegetables were par boiled and then tossed together with the asparagus, some herbs and a bit of olive oil. I then topped with the Chicken breasts and roasted for a short time.
Everything came out beautifully done. The sauce is simple to do and quite tasty. So don't skip it!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN BREASTS & ROASTED VEGETABLES
Simple ordinary fresh ingredients.
- 1 pound (400g) of baby new potatoes, scrubbed clean and sliced about 1/2 inch thick (no need to peel)
- 3 carrots peeled and cut into batons
- 2 leeks, trimmed and sliced into 1 inch thick slices
- 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into batons
- 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
- 2 TBS light olive oil
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- onion powder, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika to season
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup (120g) of cream fraiche
- 1/2 cup (120ml) of single cream
- 1 large bunch of chives, snipped
- 2 TBS Dijon mustard
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN BREASTS & ROASTED VEGETABLES
Nothing could be easier!
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/gas mark6.
Place the potatoes, carrots, leeks and parsnips into a pot of lightly salted boiling water to cover. Parboil for 5 to 6 minutes. Drain well.
Place the 2 TBS of oil into a large roasting tin. Place in the oven to heat up the oil. Once the oil is hot, toss in the parboiled vegetables and the asparagus tips. coating them well with the oil.
Lay the chicken on top and season all well with the onion powder, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika.
Roast for about 25 minutes until thoroughly cooked and beginning to brown. The chicken juices run clear and the internal temperature should be 165*F/74*C.
Heat the crème fraiche, mustard, cream and chives in a small pan over medium low heat for several minutes until heated through.
Serve the chicken with the roasted vegetables with the sauce spooned over top.
This was really delicious. Very simple to make and quite spring like with the fresh vegetables. Something light and refreshing after all the heavy food we have been eating over the winter months.
Got chicken breasts? You may also be interested in these other recipes!
PAN ROASTED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH THYME - Skin on chicken breasts are roasted and basted with a lush thyme butter sauce while they are cooking. Delicious tender and moist when done, these are quite simply beautiful.
Yield: 4
Chicken Breasts with Roasted Vegetables
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min
Roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips, leeks and asparagus, with tender pieces of chicken breast roasted on top, and accompanied with a delicious crème fraiche, mustard and chive sauce. Simple and delicious, and easy too!
Ingredients
- 1 pound (400g) of baby new potatoes, scrubbed clean and sliced about 1/2 inch thick (no need to peel)
- 3 carrots peeled and cut into batons
- 2 leeks, trimmed and sliced into 1 inch thick slices
- 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into batons
- 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
- 2 TBS light olive oil
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- onion powder, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika to season
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup (120g) of cream fraiche
- 1/2 cup (120ml) of single cream
- 1 large bunch of chives, snipped
- 2 TBS Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/gas mark6.
- Place the potatoes, carrots, leeks and parsnips into a pot of lightly salted boiling water to cover. Parboil for 5 to 6 minutes. Drain well.
- Place the 2 TBS of oil into a large roasting tin. Place in the oven to heat up the oil. Once the oil is hot, toss in the parboiled vegetables and the asparagus tips. coating them well with the oil.
- Lay the chicken on top and season all well with the onion powder, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika.
- Roast for about 25 minutes until thoroughly cooked and beginning to brown. The chicken juices run clear and the internal temperature should be 165*F/74*C.
- Heat the crème fraiche, mustard, cream and chives in a small pan over medium low heat for several minutes until heated through.
- Serve the chicken with the roasted vegetables with the sauce spooned over top.
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