This lemon chicken recipe is quick, easy and fabulous! You will have what tastes like a gourmet meal in no time!
“Healthi formerly iTrackbites is an alternative to Weight Watchers. “
A quick, healthy dinner for the whole family
Lemon chicken is one of those recipes the kids asked if there was more! It looks super fancy, tastes delicious, and is healthy, too! Even if you are a beginning cook, you will impress your friends and family with this meal.
Why you should make asparagus part of your diet
Asparagus is FULL of nutrients with minimal calories. Each serving has fiber, Vitamins C, A, K and E. folate, potassium, and phosphorus. It even has 2.2 grams of protein, all for 20 calories! That's a huge bang for your nutritional buck! There are also small amounts of iron, zinc, and riboflavin.
Being that asparagus is full of folate, this is a great veggie to eat if you are pregnant. Folate is vital for a healthy pregnancy, as well as many important processes in the body. This include cell growth and DNA formation.
Another benefit of eating asparagus is it's high in dietary fiber; just half a cup as 7% of your daily fiber needs. Studies have shown that a diet high in fiber-rich foods may help to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.
Insoluble fiber is what adds bulk to stool and supports regular bowel movements. Not something we love to talk about, but something that is certainly important to your overall health. Asparagus is particularly high in insoluble fiber.
In addition, it also contains a small amount of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract. This type of fiber feeds the friendly bacteria in the gut. This beneficial bacteria helps to strengthen the immune system, as well as produces essential nutrients like vitamins B12 and K2.
To learn more about asparagus and why it's a wonderful side for your lemon chicken, click here.
However, if you aren't a fan of asparagus, this broccoli recipe is another option as your veggie.
Lemon chicken needs, well, lemons
This lemon chicken recipe calls for lemons and some lemon pepper seasoning, but the lemons themselves are more for garnish than for eating. You could certainly add some lemon juice to the asparagus, or use a squeeze of lemon juice instead of the honey butter sauce. That's not to say you can't eat the caramelized lemons if you like something a bit bitter. It would likely also balance out the sweetness of the honey butter sauce.
Flour, no breading to sauté this recipe
Coating meat in flour, known as dredging, is a technique to coat wet or moist foods with a dry ingredient before you cook it. When you are sautéing food, you want to dredge it for a few reasons.
Dredging will help seal in the moisture to prevent your lemon chicken from becoming tough. It will help the chicken from sticking to the pan. The coating helps the food to become crisp and darken evenly without burning. The seasoning also adds flavor to the food.
A balanced meal your whole family will love
This dish was so easy to make, but looks so elegant and fancy. Best of all, it's healthy, as well as being delicious. And it fits right into my eating plan on Healthi formerly iTrackbites.
Tracking points and bites
I use Healthi formerly iTrackbites to stay on track with my healthy living journey!
- cost: Healthi formerly iTrackBites costs $36 for the year (using this link for 40% off makes it $36 – use COACH_SMILEY to save!!), WW is $20+ for the month, and it's the same formula and less options
- choices: I can choose PointsPlus, Freestyle, or any other plan I want with Healthi formerly iTrackBites. Even with the new WW changes, they only offer 3 plan options (not PointsPlus).
- logs: You can export your tracker data by the week, month, or quarter with Healthi formerly iTrackBites. WW does not give you access to quarterly data.
- accuracy: I've found inaccurate info in the WW app due to members submitting and not paying attention to the right numbers. With Healthi formerly iTrackBites, I know if I see the green check, it's been verified as accurate. This puts my mind at ease!
BLUE PLAN: 8 Points
GREEN PLAN: 10 Points
PURPLE PLAN: 8 Points
Print
Lemon Chicken with 5 Ingredients
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
2 cups asparagus
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp butter, optional
1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 lemon, sliced
Instructions
Cut or pound chicken breasts to 3/4 of an inch thick. Chop the asparagus into bite-sized pieces
Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish and coat the chicken in the mixture.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the lemon pepper seasoning directly onto the pan. Add the chicken and sauté for 3-5 minutes on each side, until the chicken is golden brown. Transfer the chicken onto a plate.
Add the chopped asparagus to the pan and sauté until bright green and tender-crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Lay the lemon slices flat on the bottom of the pan and cook for a few minutes on each side. Do not stir them so they caramelize and pick up the browned bits left in the pan from the chicken and the butter. Remove the lemons and set them aside.
For the honey butter sauce, melt 2 Tbsp of butter and honey in the hot pan after caramelizing the lemons and then pour it over the chicken. This will pick up some of the lemon flavors. If you don't want that lemon flavor, do this in a separate pan.