A fast, flavorful chicken dish perfect for your valentine
Need to whip up a quick meal to impress your valentine? Tender chicken coated with French herbes de Provence and served over a bed of baby spinach salad is simple and fast.
Here’s the trick to keeping boneless skinless chicken breasts juicy and tender. Saute the breasts until they are about three-quarters done, and then cover the pan and set it aside to finish cooking in their own heat.
Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs that are grown in the South of France. The assortment usually contains marjoram, rosemary, sage, summer savory, thyme and lavender. It can be found in some supermarkets. If difficult to find, use equal amounts of dried sage and thyme for the recipe.
Mediterranean Chicken
3⁄4-pound boneless,
skinless chicken breast 4 tablespoons Herbes de
Provence
2 teaspoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Remove visible fat from chicken breasts and rub with Herbes de Provence, making sure to coat both sides. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute 4 minutes. Turn and saute 4 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with a lid and let sit 10 minutes. A meat thermometer should read 165 degrees.
Slice chicken into strips and arrange on salad. Spoon pan juices over chicken.
Yield 2 servings.
262 calories (32 percent from fat), 9.4 grams fat (1.8 grams saturated, 3.4 grams monounsaturated), 126 milligrams cholesterol, 38.8 grams protein, 3.8 grams carbohydrates, 2.4 grams fiber, 84 milligrams sodium.
Spinach, Roasted Pepper and Chickpea Salad
6 cups washed, ready-to
eat baby spinach
1⁄2 cup drained, sliced
roasted red pepper
1 1⁄2 cups reducedsodium, drained and rinsed canned chickpeas 4 tablespoons reducedfat oil and vinegar dressing
Divide spinach leaves between 2 dinner plates. Add the roasted red pepper slices and chickpeas to the spinach. Sprinkle the dressing on top.
Yield 2 servings.
Nutrition information serving:
per
Nutrition information per serving:
302 calories (17 percent from fat), 5.7 grams fat (0.6 grams saturated, 1.6 grams monounsaturated), 2 milligrams cholesterol, 15.9 grams protein, 47.6 grams carbohydrates, 14.4 grams fiber, 360 milligrams sodium.
— By Linda Gassenheimer