Showing posts with label Chicken breasts. Show all posts

Pan Fried Chicken with Sage, Garlic & Lemon

Name: Pan Fried Chicken with Sage, Garlic & Lemon
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast fillet; 1 TBS plain all purpose flour; 6 fresh sage leaves; 1 clove of garlic, peeled and bruised; 1 TBS butter; 1 TBS olive oil; the juice of half a lemon; fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Wednesday, 13 July 2022

I confess I eat a lot of chicken. It is my protein of choice most of the time, and that is for a few reasons.

One, its higher in protein and lower in fat than most other animal sources of protein. Chicken breast in particular is a great for people who are seeking to lower the fat in their diet and up their protein.

Two, its incredibly versatile, mixing well with a multitude of other flavors and textures. It also used to be cheaper than other proteins, but lately its gone up quite a bit in price. I'm not sure what is behind that.

Finally, I like chicken. I love all of the bird. The legs, thighs, breasts, and especially the wings.

This recipe I am sharing with you today is one of my favorite ways to prepare chicken breasts. Not only is it quick and easy to make, but its delicious.

Because you cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, it is also a great way to make chicken breasts stretch further and feed more people.

For me that is a win/win situation all around!

One thing I really love about this recipe are the flavors. Earthy herby fresh sage. Tart acidic lemon. Creamy, nutty garlic. Rich butter . . .

All wonderful flavors and when combined with the mild flavor of chicken, its a fabulous taste combo that can't be beat!

Just think of your favorite roast chicken with stuffing . . . this has the same flavors for the most part, but with an almost instant gratification factor involved!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PAN FRIED CHICKEN WITH SAGE, GARLIC & LEMON

Simple ingredients. Nothing very out of the ordinary here, unless you consider fresh sage to be exotic.

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast fillet
1 TBS plain all purpose flour
6 fresh sage leaves
1 clove of garlic, peeled and bruised
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
the juice of half a lemon
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Buy the best chicken breasts you can afford. There really is a difference in taste. I prefer air chilled, and anti-biotic free. Organic and free range if I can get it, but there is only one of me to please. I can appreciate how a larger family cannot afford to be so picky.

I grow my own sage in the summer months. Fresh sage is also readily available at most grocery stores year round. If you have difficulty finding it, you can use some dried crumbled sage (not powdered). Just add about a teaspoon and go from there. The dried form of sage is much more pungent than fresh.

If you cannot get the sage, you can use fresh thyme in its place. A few sprigs should do the trick beautifully!

Use the freshest lemon and garlic you can find. If you happen to grow your own garlic, so much the better!

You will need to cut your chicken breast into cutlets. This is very easy to do. Just lay your chicken breast flat out on a cutting board.

You will need a nice sharp knife for this. Don't attempt it with a dull knife, you might cut yourself.

Hold the chicken in place with the heel of your hand and beginning at the thickest end, slice the breast horizontally through the middle.

One thing this also does is to render the meat really tender. I am not sure how that works, or the science behind it, but it's true.

The quantities for this recipe are to feed two people, but can very easily be doubled to feed more.

HOW TO MAKE PAN FRIED CHICKEN WITH SAGE, GARLIC & LEMON

Using a sharp knife, cut your chicken horizontally into two equal cutlets. (see above.)

Place your chicken cutlets between two sheets of cling film and bash them gently to flatten them out a bit and make them the same thickness. Season them with some salt and pepper and then dust them lightly with flour, patting it on and shaking off any excess.

Heat the oil and 1/2 of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Once it begins to foam, add the chicken, and brown lightly on both sides. Cook until the juices run clear.

Add the garlic and the sage to the pan along with the remaining butter. Squeeze in the lemon juice and let it bubble up a minute. Serve immediately with some of the lemony juices spooned over each cutlet.

That's it really. It is that simple. If your chicken breast is really large you might even get three cutlets from it. The thinner the cutlet the quicker it cooks.

If your garlic or sage start to burn, lift them up onto the pieces of chicken. I love how nice and crisp the sage leaves become in this.

And the garlic gets really mellow and buttery.

The lemon juice, chicken juices and butter make a fabulous sauce that is so delicious spooned over those tender pieces of chicken.

As I said, the flavors in this are simply beautiful.

I enjoy it on its own with a salad on the side (ideally low carb), but if you are wanting a carb to serve it goes well with pasta, rice or potatoes. Steamed broccoli and asparagus are also very nice with this.

This is a beautiful chicken dish that I would serve to company without any hesitation on my part. Everyone always loves it!

If you are a keen chicken eater as I am, you may be interested in these other quick, easy and delicious chicken breast recipes:

PAN ROASTED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH THYME -I have used boneless, skin-on chicken breasts for this, but thighs would also work well. You can also use bone in or boneless skinless chicken, but the cook times would need adjusting. These are simple to make, moist and delicious with a crisp skin and beautiful flavour.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE - Chimichurri Sauce may not be a sauce you are familiar with. Its a lovely lush and spicy sauce which hails from Argentina. In this case it goes perfectly with tender juicy grilled chicken breasts. A fantastic combination! The chicken is marinated in some of that delicious sauce prior to cooking as well. Delicious!

Pan Fried Chicken with Sage, Garlic & Lemon

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Cook time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min

This tender moist chicken is a real favorite in my kitchen. The pan sauce is flavored with sage, garlic and lemon and is delicious spooned over top of the chicken cutlets.

Ingredients

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast fillet
1 TBS plain all purpose flour
6 fresh sage leaves
1 clove of garlic, peeled and bruised
1 TBS butter
1 TBS olive oil
the juice of half a lemon
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Using a sharp knife, cut your chicken horizontally into two equal cutlets.
Place your chicken cutlets between two sheets of cling film and bash them gently to flatten them out a bit. Season them with some salt and pepper and then dust them lightly with flour, patting it on and shaking off any excess.
Heat the oil and 1/2 of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Once it begins to foam, add the chicken, and brown lightly on both sides. Cook until the juices run clear.
Add the garlic and the sage to the pan along with the remaining butter. Squeeze in the lemon juice and let it bubble up a minute. Serve immediately with some of the lemony juices spooned over each cutlet.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it # marierayner5530

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com

Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!

Follow me on Bloglovin

read article

Pan Fried Chicken with Sage, Garlic & Lemon

Chicken Caprese

Tuesday, 21 June 2022

I love this time of year when our tastes are craving and enjoying all the freshness that the summer season has to offer. Winter lasts far too long so we have learned here in the Northern Hemisphere to make hay while the sun shines!

The tomatoes and basil are not quite ready yet for the picking . . . but in another few weeks they should be. That's when recipes like this beautiful Chicken Caprese Recipe will come in very handy!

Not only is it a delicious recipe, but it is also a very quick and easy recipe, making it ideal for weeknight suppers or even lunches with its light fresh flavors!

This is a dish that screams fresh and summer! Simple enough for every day and yet at the same time special enough that you can easily serve it to company.

It is a dish I used to make often for the ladies that lunched at the manor in the summer months. They really enjoyed it!

Fresh tender, moist pieces of chicken are slit open, seasoned and layered with milky mozzarella cheese, sliced ripe tomatoes, and fresh basil leaves, before being pan grilled to perfection.

With the pan juices drizzled over top, along with some basil pesto and a garnish of fresh basil leaves and sautéed sliced garlic, it makes for a dish with a very pretty presentation!

One of the most delicious dishes in Italian Cuisine is the Caprese Salad, or Insalata Caprese. This tasty chicken dish is a play on the simplicity of those flavors.

The Caprese Salad came to live shortly after the first world war when an Italian Mason wanted to bring to life and taste the colors of the Italian flag in a show of great patriotism. Over time it has become known as staple dish of Capri and is very popular.

Such a simple thing, with such simple ingredients and flavors. There is much to fall in love with here when the flavors, colors and textures are married together with mild flavored chicken breasts!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS TRADITIONAL CHICKEN CAPRESE RECIPE

The ingredients given are enough for one serving of this tasty chicken, but can easily be multiplied to create as many servings as you require!

one (6 to 8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed
fine sea salt and black pepper
2 ounces (60g) Fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 to 3 tomato slices, depending on the size
4 to 5 fresh basil leaves
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
prepared Basil Pesto for serving
fresh basil sprigs to garnish

I wouldn't recommend using anything other than fresh mozzarella cheese for this. Its got just the right flavor and texture. I lucked in and was able to get some today that was marked down by 30% as it was at its sell by date.

I used what I needed and then sliced the rest and froze individually, ready to take out as and when I need some.

Today I used a good store bought Pesto, but once the basil really gets going I will be making my own pesto. There is nothing like fresh made pesto. You can find a link for that recipe on the recipe card. Its so delicious!

I use free range, free from antibiotics, chicken when I can find it.

I had to make do with hothouse tomatoes today. I cannot wait for tomato season when there will be an abundance of fresh ones to use. I used baby plums, but ideally you should use larger ones. I used about 6 baby plums cut into 1/2 inch slices.

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN CAPRESE

Its quite simple really. All you need is a nice sharp knife and a good, heavy bottomed non-stick skillet! Half an hour later, Bob's your uncle!

Pat the chicken dry. Cut a lengthwise pocket into the side of each piece of chicken, taking care not to cut all the way through. Open it up like a book and season the chicken well on both sides with salt and pepper.

Layer each breast on the bottom half with the mozzarella cheese, 2 to 3 tomato slices, and 4 to 5 basil leaves. Fold the top half over to cover, pressing the edges down to seal the filling in tightly.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed non-stick skillet. Add the slices of garlic and sauté until golden brown, a bout 4 minutes. Scoop out to a paper towel lined plate, leaving the oil in the pan. Increase the heat to medium high.

Add the chicken, presentation side down. Sauté until golden brown, about six minutes. Flip over and cook for a further 5 minutes. (If the meat is darkening too quickly, turn the temperature down.)Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer, until the chicken is cooked through and the filling is hot and the cheese is melting.

Carefully transfer to a heated plate. Pour the pan juices over top. Garnish with pesto, browned garlic slices, and a few sprigs of fresh basil.

This is so pretty when you cut it open to reveal all of the colors inside. That tender perfectly cooked chicken, the green basil, that sweet milky cheese.

This simple dish forms its own delicious pan sauce as the milky liquid from the cheese and the tomato juices mingle together with the caramelized drippings from the browned chicken.

Looking for more delicious chicken breast recipes? Here are some I can highly recommend!

SWISS STYLE CHICKEN - Tender pieces of chicken topped with a creamy tarragon and brandy sauce, topped with sautéed mushrooms, garlic and gruyere cheese. Delicious!

CHICKEN, CHEESY LEEKS AND SPINACH - Chicken breasts are topped with wilted leeks, a delicious cheesy sauce and crispy crumbs and then baked to tender perfection.

HERB AND LEMON ROASTED CHICKEN BREASTS - This is a delicious way of preparing chicken breasts which keeps them moist and very flavorful. It works best with skin on, bone in breasts!! Deliciously herby!

Chicken Caprese

Yield: 1

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Instructions and amounts are given here for one serving, but this can easily be multiplied to make as many servings as you wish. This is pure and simple Italian deliciousness.