Coming up with a name for a new recipe can be a challenge.
The recipe that was the inspiration for this one was called Weeknight Lemon Chicken Skillet Dinner. That title is wordy yet tells me very little about what's in the dish beyond lemons and chicken.
Lemon chicken implies the chicken will taste of lemons, when in fact, the vegetables are what's imbued with lemon.
Chicken With Vegetables is just a bit vague.
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, though kitschy, still tells us nothing about the dish. But it is honest, this recipe was a winner at my house.
Chicken and Peppers and Green Beans in a Lemony Gravy With Roasted Potatoes is beyond cumbersome. But that's exactly what this dish is.
The dish is also bright, yet filling, and very versatile. Don't like green beans? Add some broccoli instead. Avoiding starchy vegetables? Skip the potatoes and add some sliced mushrooms to the skillet. Do bell peppers treat you wrong? Carrots pack the same punch of color, offer more beta carotene and add loads of vitamin A.
Chicken With Vegetables and Lemony Gravy
1 pound baby red or fingerling potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
Olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
Garlic powder
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs, if that's what you like)
1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
8 ounces fresh green beans, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
1 small lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Arrange potatoes on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir or toss gently to coat. Roast potatoes 20 to 25 minutes or until tender and golden brown.
Meanwhile, heat about 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook chicken until browned on one side, about 6 minutes. Turn and cook on second side 2 minutes. Turn chicken over, browned side up, and scatter bell pepper pieces around chicken. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove chicken and peppers from skillet to a plate. Tent with foil. Place the skillet over medium-low heat. Melt butter and stir in flour, stirring until flour is completely coated in fat. Whisk in milk and chicken broth, whisking until smooth. Add the green beans and lemon slices, cover and cook until beans are just tender, about 6 minutes. Return chicken and peppers to skillet and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serve with potatoes.
Makes 4 servings.
Recipe inspired by a recipe in Cooking That Counts by the editors of Cooking Light
Food on 03/01/2017