Recipe Favorites: Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Green Olives, and Capers

This was a dish that I absolutely loved, and since I posted it just before Thanksgiving when a lot of people were distracted with thoughts of turkey, I decided it should be featured again as a Recipe Favorite. The recipe, which came from The Bon Appetit Cookbook, has roasted lemons, a unique ingredient slightly similar to preserved lemons because the lemon peel is eaten. If you didn't want to fuss quite so much, I think this would still taste great with just the green olives and capers. If you want to see step-by-step instructions, you can find them at the original post.

Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Green Olives, and Capers
(4 servings, recipe from The Bon Appetit Cookbook with slight adaptations by Kalyn)

12 thin lemon slices, cut from 2 lemons
olive oil for brushing lemon slices
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
about 1/2 cup flour (use 100% whole wheat flour for the South Beach Diet)
2 tsp. poultry seasoning (I use Penzeys)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2-3 T olive oil
1/2 cup sliced pitted green olives (recipe called for Sicilian olives, but all I had were plain supermarket green olives)
2 T drained capers, rinsed
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock or canned chicken broth (be sure it's low sodium or the finished dish will be too salty from the olives and capers)
2 T butter, cut into small pieces (recipe called for 4 T, but 2 T was plenty for me)
3 T chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 325 F. Cut two lemons into thin slices (I recommend using a mandoline if you have one.) Brush lemon slices lightly with olive oil and arrange on baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Roast until lemons are slightly dry and barely beginning to brown, about 25 minutes. (I cut the lemons in fourths before adding them to the sauce, but the recipe didn't specify this. I thought it made them a little easier to eat.)

Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken breasts. Combine flour and poultry seasoning and add desired amount of black pepper. Lightly coat chicken with flour. Heat oil in heavy pan just large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side.

Add olives and capers and pour in chicken stock. Bring to boil, scraping off any browned bits from bottom of pan. Boil until liquid is reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add butter, roasted lemon slices, and 2 T of the chopped parsley. Simmer until butter is melted and chicken is cooked through, 2-3 minutes more. Transfer chicken to serving platter, pour sauce over, and sprinkle remaining 1 T parsley. Serve hot.

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South Beach Suggestions:

This is phase two or three for The South Beach Diet, due to the flour. Butter is not recommended for South Beach, but the small amount of butter here adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. You could use a margarine like Smart Balance if you prefer. This would taste great with something like Georgette's Really Lemony Greek Pilafi and Roasted Squash with Garlic.