Happy Winter Vacation, fellow foodies! I hope that everyone had a safe, happy holiday full of lots of fun and delicious treats with your loved ones.
Now that the holidays are over, I’m sure most of you, like me, are so sick of looking at heavy plates of fattening foods (and the subsequent impact it’s all having on how your cute New Year’s Eve outfits will fit) that you’re ready for some lighter fare. With most having an easy work week ahead of them, if not off completely, what better time than now to unwind with a little leisurely home cooking and experimentation with healthy dishes.
Or, if you’re like me, you might want to break in the various cooking tools you got for Christmas. Probably the best gift I got for Christmas was this bad boy:
That’s right, a cast iron skillet. For those of you who enjoy home cooking, you’ll know that one of these is worth it’s weight in gold (and I’ll be honest, it’s pretty heavy). The thick base and even heat distribution makes food caramelize, not burn, and cook very evenly. As someone who regularly burns chicken breasts in the thin saute pans I usually use, I was delighted to find that cooking chicken in the cast iron skillet was a breeze, as the meat browned evenly while slowly cooking through.
But back to that whole eating healthy thing I was talking about earlier. If you’re looking to get back on track this week and weed yourself out of your holiday sugar addiction, no doubt brought on by hoards of Christmas cookies (or perhaps the largest ice cream sundae known to man), but aren’t willing to sacrifice flavor, this is the perfect meal for you.
Balsamic glazed chicken with sauteed broccoli rabe will excite your taste buds and leave you feeling satisfied, but not guilty. Plus, you can make the entire meal in about 20 minutes. Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 large head of broccoli rabe
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 large shallot
- 2 medium chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar (plus some extra on hand)
- 1 cup of low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup of sliced white mushrooms
- 2 tbsp of tomato paste
- Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil (note: cooking spray can be substituted for an even more low-fat rendition)
To start, add olive oil to a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Add the slivered shallots and begin to caramelize. Then, sliver the garlic (you want fairly large slices, not a mince) and add that to the pan, allowing to caramelize and soften for about 2 minutes. Once the shallots and garlic start to look brown, add the broccoli rabe and a dash of chicken stock, and cover, allowing the rabe to steam. Check on the rabe occassionally – about every 3 to 4 minutes – and toss with tongs to ensure even cooking.
Meanwhile, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat in your cast iron skillet (note: you can use any type of pan here, but the skillet works best). Add the chicken breasts and sear on each side until golden, about two minutes per side.
Once breasts are golden on both sides, add your mushrooms (you can use any type – I actually used canned mushrooms, which I’m normally against, but even those worked well) and brown those for about a minute. Then, add the tomato paste and toss the chicken and mushrooms to coat.
Allow the tomato paste to caramelize in the pan for about 2 minutes or so. The paste should darken in color and taste sweeter. Then, deglaze the pan with 1/8 of a cup of the balsamic vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat slightly, add about 1/4 cup of chicken stock and the remaining vinegar, and continue cooking on low heat until the sauce has reduced to more of a glaze.
If you’re not feeling so healthy, you can finish this off with a small pat of butter (or I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!), or just leave it out. The butter will cut some of the acidity of the vinegar, so it really just depends on what tastes good to you.
Plate up one breast, spooning the mushrooms and remaining sauce over the top.
Serve along side the wilted broccoli rabe, topped with sea salt and red pepper flakes. And that’s it! A quick, easy, painless yet flavorful meal, that will get you back in your healthy-protein-and-veggies zone, without making you feel like you’re on a “diet.”
‘Cause let’s face it. After eating several spoonfuls of this…
…We all could use a little healthy cookin’. Happy Holidays!
Ugggghh who gives someone a skillet for Christmas?
[…] goes great alongside Balsamic Chicken Breast or on top of a spinach salad dressed in lemon juice and olive oil. And the best part? It keeps in […]
[…] stood up nicely alongside the chicken parm. I’d imagine this would also be very fitting with this quick and easy chicken or this French classic. But then again, when you combine four wonderful ingredients like wild […]
[…] I prefer this dish room temperature, or even cold the next day, so I allowed the couscous to cool slightly before the final step. Once cooled to room temperature, add the raisins, mint, tomatoes, and dressing to couscous. Toss to coat, and serve alongside some lovely grilled lamb chops, or balsamic chicken breast. […]