Real Simple's Lemon Chicken with Olives

Wow. It is not often that I find a recipe that I really enjoy (without tons of modifications) or that will make me really enjoy chicken! As you all know I don’t eat chicken/beef very often, but I would make this dish over and over again! It was divine!

Actually, now that I see this picture I wish I had made it again for dinner tonight! A few of my uncles (including one who is visiting from out of town) + my brother and my sister in law + my dad, cousin and I all had an impromptu dinner at my place. We had whole foods pizza, delicious lemony salad, and berries with fresh whipped cream + ladyfingers (store bought) for dessert. We decided on it about an hour before dinner, so we had to take quick action! They are actually still here, so I am going to make this quick!

Back to the chicken!!

I guess that gives you your answer on which menu I chose! Menu B: A celebration for Lindsey’s engagement! I can make a quick Mexican themed menu anytime, so I decided to go for the fancier menu last night. The girls came over nice and early, 4:30, which is perfect for a Sunday. It was so nice and rainy  so I really enjoyed staying home cleaning the house, prepping for my friends, and relaxing! I will be posting about all the foods I cooked, but first, the chicken!

What I liked about the dish:

-I had all the ingredients but the chicken on hand
-it did not take a long time or a lot of dishes
-it was very flavorful while not high in calories or heavy on the belly

I picked up some fresh hormone and antibiotic free chicken breast cutlets from Whole Foods yesterday, plopped my laptop on my island, and was ready to cook!

My future mother in law is really amazing… and even more amazing because she emailed me this recipe! Thank you FMIL! She also gave me a Real Simple magazine subscription as a present; I love receiving it every month! I based my whole menu around this dish, which was definitely the highlight. I have pasted the recipe below.. but you will also find it on the Real Simple website. If you don’t like olives, I suggest you try it with anything that is a type of sottocetto item like artichoke hearts perhaps. Even sundried tomatoes would work nicely!

Anyway, on to the recipe!

Real Simple’s Lemon Chicken with Olives
From Real Simple
*Please note that this was 6 large servings for us, not 4!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets, thawed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)

Directions:
Mix the flour, cumin, zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper on a flat plate. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and dredge in the flour mixture.cHeat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in 2 batches until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Wipe out the skillet and return to medium heat. Heat the remaining oil. Add the shallots and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the olives, parsley, lemon juice, and wine and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it in the olives and shallots. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Divide among individual plates, spooning the olives, shallots, and any sauce over the top.

Yield: Makes 4 servings (again, this made 6 hefty portions for us)

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!