Lemon Garlic Chicken

Last week, while The Geologist was in Houston, my Mom came to visit. Hooray!! It was a great visit, and she definitely helped me survive the week alone. She's a much healthier eater than I am (generally) and often grumbles just a smidge at the smaller percentage of healthy recipes on my blog. I was determined to prove to her that yes!! I DO know how to cook healthy, so there! We made the fish tacos from last week (win!) and this chicken, with the cauliflower I'll share tomorrow. Another win! I successfully proved that I can be healthy and yummy! Then I made biscotti and it all went out the window. Oh well. What can I do? I love to bake!

We're grilling a lot of our meats around here these days. The Geologist loves to grill, and it's a darn healthy cooking method! You can grill this chicken on skewers, pan-"fry" with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, bake it, or broil it, which is how I cooked it this time.

Lemon Garlic Chicken (adapted slightly from One Perfect Bite)

Printable Recipe

2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp lemon juice
4-5 garlic cloves, minced/pressed
a few Tb minced fresh parsley (I like flat-leaf Italian parsley)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Trim the chicken, and cut each breast into 2-3 pieces, "chicken finger" size. You can also cube it for kabobs, or pound flat to cook evenly. We like the "chicken finger" method.

Combine oil, zest, juice, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Mix well. Pour over chicken in a lidded bowl or ziploc bag. Toss to coat the chicken well. Let marinate 1-2 hours.

If broiling: line a rimmed baking pan with foil. Place a wire rack inside baking pan. Place chicken pieces on the rack. Set over rack to second-highest slot, and turn broiler on. Place baking pan with chicken in the oven, broil for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let rest at least 5 minutes before serving. (You can also bake, grill, or pan-fry this chicken.)

See? Healthy as can be!! I must admit, I refuse to sacrifice flavor for health. You won't see me living on squash. Or baking with avocados. But at the same time, I love finding recipes that are healthy AND full of flavor. There are lots out there!!

Like this chicken. It's mouthwatering, really. Lots and lots of flavor. I hate parsley with a passion, but have just discovered that I love Italian flat-leaf parsley! It adds a great note to the chicken and pretty green bits. Let's be honest, the chicken would look boring without it!

Keep an eye on it and it will turn out juicy and tender and delicious. Did I mention healthy?

Shared at Foodie Friday