Those lemon, basil and honey glazed chicken breasts are so flavorful and simple they may become a regular meal in your home. I’ve had this combination of ingredients in my mind for a while, because lemon and basil get together just perfectly.
I first tried to make a creamy sauce with an evaporated milk base (yes, I know, I’m totally obsessed with evaporated and condensed milk). It was delicious but not totally satisfying: lemon and evaporated milk don’t like each other and the sauce was separating. That’s not a problem regarding the taste but the result is not pretty. And I like pretty meals. I’m still working on that version because it was really really good and I still hope to find a solution (if you want to know everything, I need to find a healthy and preferably skinny emulsifier to help the sauce keep together. Maybe honey, or mustard. We’ll see).
In the meantime, I found that soaking the chicken breasts in a lemon basil and honey marinade was different but just as delectable as the creamy sauce. Not to mention the glaze…
In most recipes calling for a marinating step, you’re asked to toss the mixture before cooking the meat. And I don’t like that at all. First, because this is usually the luscious part of the recipe and second…what a waist! So instead, in this recipe, I also used the marinade to create a delicious lemony glaze.
The chicken breasts are first browned on each side with olive oil. The marinade is then poured in the skillet to deglaze the meat juices and finish the cooking. The result is a caramelized glaze loaded with flavors and a super moist chicken. Who’s hungry now?
Please note that the pictures do not do justice to this dish very well. It actually tastes way better than it looks on those pics. I’ll reshoot them as soon as possible. I hope you’ll try them anyway because, trust me, it’s GOOD!
Cal: 176.5 - Protein: 25.2g - Fat: 4.26g - Carbs: 8.95g - Fiber: 0.12g - Sugar: 7.57g - WW Old Points: 4 pts - Points+: 4 pts
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- The juice of 3 lemons
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp powdered garlic
- 12 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- salt (to taste)
- freshly cracked pepper (to taste)
- 1 tsp olive oil
Directions
- Cut chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 pieces (try to make them equal sized for an even cooking). Place them in a large dish or in ziplock bags.
- In a bowl, combine lemon juice, honey, water, garlic and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture on chicken breasts and let marinate in the fridge for at least half an hour (one ideally).
- When chicken has marinated, heat olive oil in a non stick skillet, on high heat. Remove chicken from marinade, paying attention to remove all the basil leaves that may have sticked to the breasts (or it will burn while cooking).
- When skillet is very hot, brown chicken breasts 2 minutes per side (4 minutes total). Pour the marinade in the skillet and mix well to get all the meat juices. The marinade should become brown instantly.
- Reduce to medium heat and cook for about 5 additional minutes, basting the sauce over the chicken breasts regularly. Chicken is ready when no longer pink inside, and when the sauce has reduced by half. Do not over cook or the chicken will be dry.
- To serve, place chicken on a plate, and spoon sauce on top. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you wish to freeze it, place your uncooked chicken with the marinade in a ziplock bag, and take it out the freezer 15 hours before cooking it.
