Here is a recipe that I hope will make your life a little easier. We all seem to have the same problem this time of year; we want to spend quality time with friends and family and just maybe enjoy a home cooked meal between dashing off to parties, decorating trees, and wrapping presents. But it’s hard after a busy day on maybe one of your few nights at home to commit to spending time slaving away in the kitchen. Here is the good news – this simple little one skillet chicken recipe practically cooks itself. Chicken in Creamy Lemon Sauce is one of my husband’s very favorite dishes and that’s saying a lot because I serve chicken all the time, roasted, grilled, fried, in casseroles, and in soups. In fact, sometimes I get THE LOOK when I say we’re having chicken for dinner – but not with this dish. It’s so good you’ll want to serve it to company, but so easy you’ll have dinner on the table before you’ve heard half of an Amy Grant album. The chicken requires a quick sauté in olive oil just to brown the outside. Remove the chicken to a plate and stir in the four ingredients to make the basis of a sauce. Let it reduce while you cook some rice, pasta, quinoa, or something to soak up juices, and throw a veggie of choice in the microwave. The chicken goes back in the sauce and into the oven for ten minutes to finish cooking. This is when you pour yourself a little glass of wine and tell someone else to set the table. (Does that work for anyone?) For the holidays, I even “dress the chicken up” in red and green before serving it using jarred red peppers and chopped sage, but it’s just icing on the cake. The chicken speaks for itself! This bright lemony flavor and creamy sauce is just what everyone is craving. Your family and friends will be impressed and you will take all the credit for a marvelous but quick dinner. I bet the ingredients are in your pantry and fridge right now. What a nice way to spend an evening with family and friends, serving a home-cooked dinner and spreading both comfort and joy. Add this to your dinner recipe collection and give a spin. You’ll love it!
Ingredients
3 chicken breasts (about 1½ lb to serve 4)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup chicken broth
Juice of one lemon
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
¼ cup cream
Optional garnish: 2 Tbsp chopped sage and 1 jarred red pepper, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
If chicken breasts are large, cut in half and pound to about ½ inch thickness (I do this by putting the chicken in a large baggie and beating it with a rolling pin or another skillet.)
Heat olive oil over high heat in a skillet large enough to hold the chicken.
Lightly salt and pepper both sides of the chicken and place in heated skillet to brown, about 3 minutes per side. (It will continue to cook in the oven.)
While chicken is browning stir together broth, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and chopped garlic in a small bowl.
Remove chicken from the skillet to a plate, reduce heat to medium, and add broth mixture to the same skillet, stirring to incorporate browned bits.
Cook stirring occasionally to reduce to about ½ cup, about 10 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and stir in butter until just melted.
Stir in cream, return chicken to the skillet and spoon some of the sauce over the chicken.
Place skillet with chicken in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove and garnish if desired.
Serve with delicious sauce poured over the chicken.
