This is an improvised meal I made at home during the Covid-19 lockdown. It serves two people, but you can easily increase the yield by doing a bit of your own improvisation. A spiralizer is a handy tool, and also inexpensive. When you consider the cost of ready to use spiraled veggies at the grocery store, my spiralizer paid for itself after three uses.
ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4-6 oz each)
- 2-3 medium zucchinis
- 1 medium golden beet
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 tablespoons capers drained and rinsed 2
- lemons
- butter
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- Italian sparsely and/or basil finely chopped
- 2/3 cup chicken stock or broth
- flour for coating the chicken
Method
- Spiral cut the zucchini and beet using a largish blade. Mine is about 1/4 inch. You don’t want them too skinny. I used the largest blade that came with my spiralizer.
- Zest the lemon and then cut it in half. Juice one half and slice the other half.
- Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and pound the pieces into a thin but uniform thickness.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge the breasts in flour and shake off the excess.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet and brown the chicken breasts on both sides. Make sure they are cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm in an oven set to 170°F.
- Add shallot and garlic to fat in skillet and cook until shallot is soft; 1-2 minutes
- Stir in broth and lemon slices, scraping up any brown bits and reduce until the liquid thickens into a syrupy consistency. 5-8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, get a non-stick pan with a lid that can hold the vegetables and heat a bit of olive oil in it. Add the beet and zucchini and stir it around a bit. Lower the heat and cover, allowing the steam that forms to gently cook the veggies until they are tender but crisp. This will only take a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper off heat.
- Once your sauce has reduced, on low heat, stir in lemon juice, capers, and any chicken juices. Add a bit of butter (1 tablespoon) to give the sauce a good texture and flavor. Cook until just melted. Turn off the heat. Remove the cooked lemon slices.
- Add chopped herbs. Taste. Adjust seasonings.
- Put the vegetables in the bottom of two bowls or plates, and then put the chicken on top. Spoon the sauce over the whole thing and garnish with more herbs and freshly sliced lemon. Serve.