Lemon Olive Chicken for Two

One pan dishes are definitely some of my favorite .  I adapted this recipe from Real Simple online to be perfect for two people.  Sometimes you just don't need leftovers or you only have two chicken breasts on hand, and this is definitely a way to spruce up plain old chicken.  The chicken really soaks up all the flavor from the wine, shallots and olives for a very tasty chicken breast.  

Lemon Olive Chicken

Adapted from Real Simple Online 

Recipe Notes

As I mentioned earlier, I paired down this recipe to be for two.  However, I have tweaked it so that you have more sauce.  My first test with the original recipe left me wanting more sauce.  The original recipe calls for green pitted olives.  I used pimiento stuffed olives that tasted great, so try whatever you think you like.  If you use bigger olives, I would suggest halving them.  A note about chicken cutlets: Chicken cutlets simply mean thinly sliced chicken breasts.  There are a couple of ways to achieve this.  If you go to a grocery store like Central Market, you can pick up a package of chicken breasts and ask the butcher to pound them thinner.  I will say that I asked for this service at my local grocery store, Kroger, and they laughed at me.  So, other options... companies like Pilgrim's Pride sell cutlets or you can simply slice a chicken breast horizontally so that you have two thinner halves.  It is essential for this kind of cut to get a good saute.  

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

2 chicken cutlets (if cutlets are small, you can do 2 pieces per person)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 cup pitted green olives

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine  (I used a chardonnay)

Directions

1. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel to remove all moisture.  Mix the flour, cumin, zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a shallow bowl. 

2.  Dredge chicken cutlets on both sides in the mixture.

3. 
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Saute chicken until no longer pink in the 

 middle.... about 5 to 6 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

4. Wipe out the same skillet  with a paper towel and heat the remaining oil.

5.  Add the shallot and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. 

6.  Stir in the olives, parsley, lemon juice, and wine and bring to a low boil.

7.  Add chicken to the pan and spoon sauce, olives and shallot on top.  Cover the pan and simmer on low for about 5

minutes. 

8.  Divide among plates and serve immediately.

                   

On the right, is a shallot.  If you were already aware of what this is, then just ignore.  I will admit when I first started cooking a lot in Waco, this was a foreign item to me and they were no where to be found in those glorious Waco grocery stores.  It is about the size of garlic and can usually be found near garlic, ginger or onions in a grocery store.