This tangy and light chicken dish is perfect for a week-night dinner. It is based on a traditional Italian lemon chicken dish but more plant forward with the added artichokes, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes. It can be served alone or over precooked saffron rice or pasta and is delicious reheated the next day.
Prep Time:
15-20 minutes
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Makes:
6 servings
Ingredients:
1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded ¼-inch thick (see note), or chicken cutlets or chicken tenderloins
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons margarine spread (not light), divided
1 (8-oz) package pre-sliced Bella or button mushrooms
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots (1 large shallot or 3 tablespoons of chopped onion)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (2 cups if not using white wine)
1 cup dry white wine (can substitute with chicken broth)
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, cut in half, drained
¼ cup capers, drained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (optional)
Preparation:
- Place the flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large Ziplock bag. Add the chicken pieces to the bag; seal bag tightly and shake to coat chicken evenly. Set aside. Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons of the margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the flour-dusted chicken in the skillet, shaking off any excess flour first, and cook, turning once, until the chicken is golden and just barely cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Melt the remaining tablespoon of margarine in the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chopped shallots, garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Add the broth, white wine, and lemon juice; use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the pan into the liquid. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by about half, slightly thickened, and darkened in color, 10 to 15 minutes (for a thin cream sauce; it will not start to thicken until the very end of the cooking time).
- Add the chicken back to the pan, along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce thickens a bit more, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh chopped basil and serve over pre-cooked saffron rice. Alternatively, if serving over pasta, toss pre-cooked, drained linguini noodles into the vegetable and sauce mixture at very end of cooking. Coat well with sauce then lift noodles with tongs onto plates and top with vegetable mixture and chicken. Spoon extra sauce on top.
Note: If chicken breasts are large, it is best to first cut them horizontally to form four flat fillets, then pound them to an even ¼-inch thickness.
Nutrition Information:
Makes 6 Servings
Serving Size: 1.25 cups (not including rice or pasta)
Calories: 280, Fat: 11g, Protein: 29g, Carbohydrates: 9g, Fiber: 2.4g, Sodium: 624mg
