Roy’s Light Lemon Garlic Chicken

4  servings        0 Better Balance Bites/Blue points

Calories 263     Fat 6.5g   Sat. Fat 1.4g   Protein 20.1g   Carbs 33.2g   Fiber 4.2g   Sugars 3.2g

Ingredients

· 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

· 3/4 tsp lemon pepper seasoning (see notes)

· Cooking spray

· 1/2 medium onion, diced

· 1 cup frozen peas, thawed  (see notes)

· 1 Tbsp minced garlic

· 1 tsp dried thyme (see notes)

· 1 lemon, zested and juiced (see notes)

· 1 cup chicken broth or water

Directions

1. Season chicken pieces with lemon pepper seasoning. Set aside.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, coat with cooking spray, and add the chicken pieces. Allow to sit, undisturbed, about 2-3 minutes, until some browning has developed. Flip the pieces, turn the heat down to medium, and allow to sit, undisturbed, for another 2-3 minutes. Stir and transfer to a plate.

3. Coat the skillet with more cooking spray and add the onion. Sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the peas, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas have warmed through, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Add lemon zest and juice to the onion mixture. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add the broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, about 8-10 minutes. (see notes)

5. Return the cooked chicken pieces to the skillet and stir to coat. Serve over pasta, mashed potatoes, or grains like quinoa or rice.

Notes

· If you don’t have lemon pepper on hand, replace it with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.

· Add any vegetables you have on hand in place of or in addition to the peas. They should be frozen but thawed or precooked.

· Prefer fresh thyme? Use 1 Tbsp and add it at the end of cooking to retain its flavor and color.

· You could do this with 3-4 Tbsp of bottled lemon juice. The flavor will be slightly more muted without the zest, so you may want to bump the juice up by a teaspoon or so.

· If you want more sauce and less reducing time, stir in 1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed into 1 Tbsp COLD water once the sauce begins to simmer.

· Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to five days or in the freezer up to 3 months.