Chicken with roasted lemons, green olives and capers

It's fabulous having the big guy home so I have a reason to cook again, to say nothing of the fact that I'm a little tired of all the carbs I've eaten in the last 5 days. Aren't you?

Last night's dinner needed to be something that was easy to prepare because we had a lot of catching up to do, but full of flavor too because I really wanted to hear the man of the house say "it's SOOO good to be home". Mission accomplished - this did the trick.

Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, this chicken with its sweet/tart roasted lemons, salty olives and capers is real wow - absolutely chock full of exotic flavors. Including roasting the lemons, prepping and cooking the chicken and finishing the sauce, the whole dish takes about 20 minutes total and the result is a perfectly cooked, incredibly tender, lemony, salty, sweet dish with a hint of the Mediterranean. We enjoyed it along with a three bean salad dressed up with sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese and some sliced tomatoes, but I'm telling you it would be wonderful on a bed of couscous to soak up some of that to die for buttery sauce.  

 

Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Green Olives and Capers

1 large lemon

Olive Oil

Coarse Salt

Preheat oven to 325. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Slice 1 large lemon into 12 thin slices. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with salt and bake for 20  minutes until lemons turn golden around the edges and look slightly dry. Set aside.

2 large skinless boneless chicken breasts

All purpose flour

Coarse ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup sliced large pitted green olives (I used lemon stuffed olives)

2 Tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup white wine or vermouth

2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Pound chicken slightly to a uniform half inch thickness. Coat with coarse ground pepper, then dredge in flour. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high, add chicken and cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip over and cook another 2 minutes. Add wine to pan and lower heat to medium. Sprinkle olives and capers over top of chicken, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir butter pieces into sauce until butter has melted, scraping bottom of pan to incorporate browned bits into sauce. Top with roasted lemon slices and garnish with parsley.  Serves 2. 

Download Chicken with Roasted Lemons, Olives and Capers

Comments

[Nanan]

Love is in the air - and on the plate!!!! That is one plate of love and goodness for sure! I have not ventured to cook much with olives -- but william does love them so - I must go there soon - this might be the recipe to start with! Think it will work with a pork cutlet?

[June]

Maybe Lea. After all it is the other white meat.

[pam]

I am ready for winter and roasted dishes. Sooooo ready.

[June]

Oh Pam - it's been hotter'n heck there too hasn't it? I don't let the heat stop me because then we'd eat salads 8 months of the year and I'm not made that way. Ha.

[Chocolate Shavings]

That's definitely my kind of dish!

[June]

It's a winner, for sure. Thanks for visiting and for leaving a comment too.

[Mindy]

This looks delicious! I've been playing with recipes for whole roasted chickens with olives and lemon, so maybe I'll try to adapt this...

And kudos for such a beautiful picture!

[Melissa W.]

Delicious! This looks like dinner tomorrow. :)

[June]

Mindy - I've tried several as well but this one was really superb. Let me know what you think...and thank you for the kudos and the comment.

Melissa - I really hope you give it a try and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for visiting!

[Carla]

Oh, my goodness, that is food porn at its finest!

[June]

Carla - thank you and thanks for popping by. Come visit again soon, OK?