Chicken with Yellow Pepper and Mushrooms

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Part II of Chicken for every day of the week

See more quick and easy, yet no chance of boring chicken recipes here

Could you use more quick week night meals? Maybe? Well, this one is just as quick as you need at the end of a long day, yet it’s tantalizing flavor will tempt even picky eaters. It takes all of 15 minutes to make, if you got all your duckies lined up 😉 So chop and mix everything before you start and you’re ready to rock the kitchen!

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Pounding the chicken until it is an even 1/4″ thickness ensures quick and even cooking, saving time and energy. Using a spice mix to rub or sprinkle on the chicken let’s you build flavor without having to add a lot of salt or spend hours roasting and basting.  And using white wine, well, ask the French on that one, it works. The alcohol evaporates before this dish ever gets on your plate, but you could definitely use broth or water instead.

imageDid I tell you about my new magnificent skillet??? It’s got a slick white ceramic coating, I think I am in love 🙂

The spice mix makes more than what you need for this recipe you can use it on chicken, salmon and it’s awesome on pork chops too.

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 skinless boneless chicken breast half
  • 1/8 tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp paprika
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne
  • 1 dash ground pepper (white or black)
  • 1 pinch oregano
  • 1 pinch cilantro
  • 1/2 clove garlic, minced or crushed
  • 1/4 tsp lemon peel
  • 1/4 cup white wine or water
  • 1/4 yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced ( I used Shiitake and Maitake, but any mix of mushrooms would work)
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/2 tsp thyme

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, mix cumin through cilantro, set aside
  2. Pound the chicken breast flat in between two layers of cling wrap, using a meat mallet or the bottom of a heavy pot. (Don’t do this after 10, or your neighbors might not like you anymore)
  3. Remove top layer of cling wrap, sprinkle the top of the chicken with the spice mixture
  4. In a skillet, heat a teaspoon oil over medium high, add the chicken, seasoned side down, removing the other layer of wrap from the top, then season that side as well. Cook 3 minutes or until slightly browned on the bottom.
  5. Flip chicken over, add the garlic to the pan (next to the chicken) and cook for about a minute until starting to look golden, then add the lemon peel, mushrooms, bell pepper and thyme.
  6. Cook for 2 minutes, so some of the juices release, then add the wine, cover the pan and give it another 2 minutes, uncover and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated.
  7. Et voilà! Yummy dinner!

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Copyright © 2012 Simple Healthy Homemade. All rights reserved

Paprika Coriander Chicken

imagePaprika Coriander Glazed Chicken Breast (shown with red and golden beets)

Part I of the series: Chicken for every day of the week!

Chicken, the easy way out, right? When you just don’t feel like putting that much effort into your dinner, there’s nothing easier or quicker to cook. And let’s face it what else is as perfect of a ‘canvas’ for different flavor as mild chicken?

Each one of these recipe’s makes 2 servings, so make ahead as lunches for the week, something I started doing lately, since there are days when I simply don’t have any time to cook something and end up, you guessed it, eating less than healthy or worse, not at all. Not good, not good, at least not when you’re trying to get back to eating small meals every three hours to have more balanced energy and leave the Christmas pounds behind in January.

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This one can be made in the pan or the oven, your preference really. It tastes delicious with steamed red and golden beets and some broccoli…

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken breast half
  • 1 1/2 tsp paprika, mild/sweet
  • 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, whole
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice, preferably fresh squeezed
  • 1 1/2 tsp raw honey
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Directions

  1. Pound the chicken breast between two sheets of clear wrap, using a meat mallet or bottom of a pot
  2. For the glaze, crush the coriander seeds in a mortar using a pestle, until roughly ground
  3. In a  small bowl combine crushed coriander, salt, paprika, lemon juice and honey and stir to combine
  4. Stovetop: Heat oil in a skillet over medium or
  5. Remove top layer of cling wrap from flattened chicken, and spread half of the glaze over the surface using the back of a spoon, then pick up and flip over into the pan, removing the second layer of cling wrap as you do so.
  6. Spread the remaining glaze over top of chicken in the pan, cook until bottom is nicely browned, about 2-3 minutes, flip over, cook 1 minute then add 1/4 cup water to prevent from getting too dark and dry, cook until cooked through about another 2 minutes.
  1. Oven: preheat oven to 400°F and line a small baking sheet with foil
  2. Place the chicken on the sheet, then spread half the glaze over the top, reserve the rest to re-apply once the chicken is done
  3. Bake 15-20 minutes depending on thickness, or until chicken breast is cooked all the way through, remove from oven and spread the remainder of the glaze over the chicken before serving.

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Copyright © 2012 Simple Healthy Homemade. All rights reserved