So I do salsa, but it’s too hot. I do shrimp and you don’t like seafood. Grilled artichokes were nice but too much work and too messy. How’s a cook supposed to please you without butter and cream?! I just might have the answer……

Chicken!  Not just any chicken, but chicken with a hint of lemon. There’s lots of room to play with this, so I’ll lay out the basics and toss in some opportunities for creativity.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Juice and zest of one large lemon
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or diced small
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Now the how to…

First, pound the chicken flat between two sheets of wax paper. No wax paper? Pound em flat anyways. Nothing to pound them with? Don’t pound them. It works any way you do it but thinner is traditional in this recipe. (insiders tip: I usually use bone in, skinned chicken to make this, you just have to brown it first, it’s just not as healthy)

Quickly brown the chicken then toss in the lemon juice, zest, garlic, dijon adn pepper, give it a quick stire and cover to cook on low until done. Thicker pieces take longer so time things accordingly.

Here’s another way to get to the same place. Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the chicken for at least two hours before cooking. You can also add a couple of tablespoons of honey if you like. Grill, bake or go crazy in the skillet because it’s all about choice with this recipe.

One more option and a traditional one with this recipe is to add mushrooms. If you are a fan of the fungi, toss some sliced mushrooms in with the chicken and cook it all down together. The lemon, the garlic and the ’shrooms work really well together and I recommend this option if you like all the ingredients (don’t use honey with this one and pass on the dijon too).

Rice is a natural with chicken, but asparagus is great too and remember, it’s part of the A pyramid, so it’s good for you.

Let me know what YOU like and we’ll work it into something tasty next time.

BTW, this recipe clocks in at about 250 calories, about 18 from fat and 90mg cholestrol. Not too shabby.