Ten-Ingredient Dinner - Lemon Chicken

So, to earn my keep, I decided to make dinner for me and Andrea. Surprisingly enough, I've made another TEN ingredient dinner! I wonder how long I can keep this up.

Ingredients

1. Chicken
2. Lemon
3. Garlic
4. Flour
5. Salt & Pepper
6. Chicken Broth
7. Olive Oil
8. Green Beans
9. Butter

Lemon Chicken

(Serving size: 2-4)

Season both sides of your chicken breast with salt and pepper and cover in flour. Heat up a pan over medium-high heat with some olive oil. When the pan is hot enough, cook the chicken for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Again, if your chicken breast is thicker, this process might take longer.

While your chicken is cooking, chop up 1 clove of garlic and cut a lemon in half. When the chicken is done, set aside. In the same pan, add the garlic, juice of half a lemon, and about 1/2 a cup of chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. In a small cup add a few tablespoons of water and a tablespoon of flour. Mix together to create a slurry. Add this to the simmering sauce and mix in. This will help thicken your sauce.

To make the green beans, I just put some olive oil in a pan browned some garlic, tossed in some French-cut green beans (frozen green beans unfortunately, but quick and easy) until warm. Add a some salt, pepper, and a tab of butter to taste.

Impromptu Dinner

I decided to treat myself and cook something up for dinner. So I went to the store and picked up some groceries and made a simple and tasty meal with just TEN ingredients!

Ingredients

1. Garlic
2. Honey
3. Balsamic Vinegar
4. Olive Oil
5. Mandarin (or any citrus fruit such as orange, lemon, lime, etc.)
6. Boneless Chicken Breast
7. Onion
8. Tomatoes
9. Pasta
10. Salt & Pepper (I don't consider salt & pepper as a real "ingredient" so I'm just lumping them together, okay?)

Balsamic Chicken & Pasta

(Serving size: 1-2)

First you need to marinate your chicken breast for about 1 hour.

To make the marinade, add the following in a small bowl:

 1 clove of garlic - minced

Honey - 2 tbsp

Balsamic Vinegar - 4 tbsp

Olive Oil - 2 tsp

Juice of half a small citrus fruit (I used mandarin)

Salt

Mix everything up until the honey is dissolved. (I really just dumped things together without measuring and tasted to make sure it wasn't too sweet, or too off-tasting.)

Poke some holes in your chicken with a fork to tenderize a little (it will also help absorb the marinade) before putting into a Ziploc bag. Pour the marinade inside and close the bag. Try and get as much air as possible before closing up the top and make sure your chicken is coated.

 I usually use my hands to squish everything around and then stick on a plate or bowl (for sanitary purposes!) inside the refrigerator. I like marinating my proteins in a plastic baggie because its easy and by taking the excess air out, you can make sure that everything is evenly coated.

Before you start the chicken, bring a pot of water to a boil and prep the ingredients for your pasta (dice some onions and tomatoes, and mince another head a garlic) and set aside.

After you pasta is done cooking, drizzle a bit of olive oil on it to keep it from sticking.

When you're ready to cook the chicken, place a pan on medium-high heat and bring up to temperature. Cook the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side. If your chicken breast is thicker, this process might take longer.

While your chicken is cooking, add some olive oil into a sauté pan in saute pan (or in the pot you made your pasta in which is what I did) over medium heat. When it gets hot enough, add in the garlic, onions and a pinch of salt. When the onions are translucent and the garlic is a golden color, add the pasta back into the pot/pan to reheat. Toss in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste.