Chicken & California Vegetables

FREE LESSON: Part of the Flavor Without Salt learning series

Principle: Using the ingredients within the meal to season the meal.

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Chicken on sale. Frozen vegetables. One affordable dinner.

Healthy, flavorful cooking doesn't have to start with expensive ingredients or a complicated shopping list. A chicken breast bought on sale and a bag of frozen vegetables can become a complete meal when you know how to build flavor as you cook.

The recipe is simply the example. The lesson is learning how to make simple ingredients work together.

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What Makes This Work

The chicken does more than provide protein. Browning it first creates flavor in the pan. Adding a little butter toward the end of the browning builds on that foundation. Instead of leaving those flavors behind, the frozen vegetables go directly into the same skillet and pick them up as they cook.

Garlic, parsley, and black pepper add another layer. Butter helps carry those flavors throughout the pan, while fresh lemon added at the end provides brightness and balance. Even an inexpensive bag of frozen vegetables becomes part of the flavor-building process.

The olive oil and butter aren't meant to be rigid measurements. Look at the pan. If it needs more moisture, add some. If you want more pan sauce, add a little more butter. Learning to make those small decisions is part of becoming a more confident cook.

That's the principle behind this meal: Using the ingredients within the meal to season the meal.

What You'll Learn

• How sale ingredients can become an affordable everyday meal.
• How to make frozen vegetables part of the meal rather than just a side dish.
• How the same pan carries flavor from the chicken into the vegetables.
• How to adjust olive oil and butter based on what the pan needs.
• How garlic, black pepper, parsley, butter, and lemon build layers of flavor.

Ingredients

Serves 2–3

• 12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Up to 2–3 oz noaddedsaltguy Breadcrumb Blend, depending on how heavily you prefer to coat the chicken
• About ¼ cup olive oil, plus more if needed
• 1 (12 oz) bag frozen California vegetable medley
• 3–4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1–2 fresh garlic cloves, sliced or chopped
• Fresh parsley, chopped, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Fresh lemon, to taste

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken breast into approximately 6–8 pieces, about 1 inch thick.
2. Pat the chicken dry. Put the Breadcrumb Blend on a plate or shallow dish and press each piece directly into the crumbs, coating both sides as lightly or generously as you prefer. No egg, milk, or batter is needed.
3. Heat about ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add more as needed while cooking.
4. Add the chicken and sauté quickly. Allow the first side to brown, turn once, and brown the second side.
5. Add 1–2 tablespoons unsalted butter to the pan as the chicken finishes browning. Let the butter combine with the olive oil and flavors already developing in the skillet.
6. Remove the chicken before it overcooks and set it aside. Add the frozen California vegetable medley directly to the same pan. Sauté, moving the vegetables around so they pick up the browned bits and flavor left behind by the chicken.
7. Once the vegetables are hot and beginning to soften, add the fresh garlic, chopped parsley, and black pepper. Continue moving everything around the pan so those flavors work through the vegetables.
8. Return the chicken to the skillet.
9. Add another 1–2 tablespoons unsalted butter, depending on how much pan sauce you want. Look at the pan rather than relying strictly on the measurement. If it seems dry, add a little more olive oil or butter.
10. Continue cooking just until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables reach the texture you prefer.
11. Finish with fresh lemon juice to taste.
12. Plate and serve.

Nutritional Estimate

If divided into 2 servings:
Calories: 650–850 | Protein: 45–50g | Carbohydrates: 20–30g | Fiber: 5–7g | Net Carbohydrates: 14–24g | Fat: 45–65g | Sodium: approximately 200–350mg

If divided into 3 servings:
Calories: 435–565 | Protein: 30–33g | Carbohydrates: 13–20g | Fiber: 3–5g | Net Carbohydrates: 9–16g | Fat: 30–43g | Sodium: approximately 135–235mg

Nutrition is estimated and will vary depending on the amount of Breadcrumb Blend, olive oil, and butter used, as well as the specific brands of ingredients.

These lessons are provided for educational purposes and demonstrate one approach to cooking with more flavor and less salt. Individual nutritional needs vary. Please consult your physician or registered dietitian before making significant dietary changes. Please see the full disclaimer for additional information.

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Less salt. More flavor. Every day.

Carlo