Tag Archives: Zest

Zesty-Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This parmesan-lemon crusted chicken is one of my NEW favorite meals.
Do you remember a few weeks ago when I made crusted ranch parmesan chicken tenders? Well, this parmesan-lemon chicken is an upgrade to that. A simple lemon vinaigrette, salad greens, and some chicken: dinner is ready. Yum! It’s very easy to make, but can very be time-consuming.

The chicken can be pan fried, and or you can bake it in the oven with a crust of seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan, then followed by greens with a very easy lemon dressing and freshly grated parmesan. I admit that does it take a tremendous amount of effort. However, I honestly can say, this is an unbelievable meal that you and your family will enjoy. All of your hard work will pay off I promise 🙂

Are you ready to start cookin? Here’s how it’s done:

Lemon-Parmesan Crusted Chicken Strips

Ingredients

For the Lemon Vinaigrette

3/4 C. Olive Oil
1/4 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 Tsp. kosher salt
1/4 Tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Salad greens washed and spun dry

Chicken Strips

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 C. Italian seasoning dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
1 Tbsp. Dried basil flakes
1 Tbsp. Dried Oregano
1 Tbsp. paprika
Three extra-large eggs
1/4 C. water
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 C. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Onion powder
1 Tbsp. Black pepper
2 Tbsp. Garlic powder
One tsp. White pepper
One tsp. Dried thyme
One tsp. Cayenne pepper
1/2 C. olive oil (For cooking)

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts. Next, place chicken on a cutting board and slice your chicken breasts against the grain into 1″ thick slices. Then pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

3. In a shallow dish combine grated parmesan, bread crumbs basil flakes, oregano, and paprika. In another large bowl mix eggs and water until smooth. In a third bowl combine the flour and remaining spices.

4. Pour, a few drops of olive oil into a large skillet and turn your stove on to medium-high heat. Next, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, then egg mixture, then the breadcrumb mix. Cook for about ten minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through. Add oil to the as needed.

5. Serve the chicken on top of greens with the grated parmesan and lemon dressing.

Instructions for baking: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with non-stick cooking spray. Then place your chicken onto a baking sheet. Bake uncovered 25 to 35 minutes or until juice of chicken is no longer pink. 

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Recipe adapted from Ina Garten

Zesty chicken & taters in foil

Foil pack dinners are fabulous! There’s little or no work included, and clean up is very easy. And serving plates aren’t even required here. With your individual foil packet, each chicken breast is cooked on a bed of baby red potatoes, seasoned with a flavor-packed mixture of Dijon mustard, lemon, and herbs. When dinner is ready to serve, you get your own little packet of zesty goodness.

Now how simple was that?

LEMON CHICKEN AND POTATOES IN FOIL

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
Zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
16 oz of red potatoes, cut into halves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

1. While the oven is heating up, prepare the chicken breasts by getting a sheet of wax paper and put it on your kitchen counter. Rinse each breast with water then place them on the wax paper. Pat them dry until they are no longer wet and set aside.

2. In a small dish, mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, mustards, thyme, rosemary and lemon zest; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Cut four sheets of foil, about 12-inches long. Divide potatoes into 4 even portions and add to the center of each foil in a single layer.

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3. Gather up all 4 sides of each foil packet. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste; gently toss to combine. Top each packet with the chicken. Using your fingers or a brush, work the mustard mixture onto both sides of the chicken. Top with lemon slices.

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4. Close the sides of the foil over the chicken, closing completely and sealing the packets closed. Place foil packets in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, about 25-45 minutes.*

Notes: Cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of the chicken and potatoes.

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Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious 

Thank you again for your support by reading my posts. 🙂

 

 

Broccoli can taste delicious

Hello cooks,

So I am going to be telling you as I promised how to make broccoli taste yummy. For me, this side dish is very addicting. Why you might ask???
Because it is full of zest and my all time favorite – parmesan cheese. Lol, I have an obsession with it. And of course, yes, the dish does involve working with an oven which in a way is excellent cause it will help you feel more confident dealing with it. If you use the appliance often, you someday will overcome your fear of using it.

Here’s the fabulous recipe:

Roasted Lemon Broccoli Parmesan

Ingredients

24oz broccoli florets
3 Tbsps of olive oil
Two cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C grated parmesan, divided
Juice of 1 small lemon
Two lemons, cut into wedges (Small)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F Line a baking dish with foil and spray it with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir broccoli, olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic, lemon juice, and half of the parmesan. Mix all of the flavors until well blended. Arrange broccoli in a single layer on the dish and place lemon wedges around as you see fit. Bake for twelve-fourteen minutes, or until soft. Take it out of the oven and sprinkle the remaining of the parmesan. Squeeze lemon wedges over broccoli if desired. Enjoy!

Now I completely understand you still might be a little nervous using the oven but remember what I shared with you in my last post that God will assist you in giving you boldness whenever you become afraid of doing something. 🙂

Thank you again for reading and have a great weekend.

 

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Recipe was adapted from The Rookie Cookie 

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