Lemon Chicken with vegetables and pearled couscous

As we all know, you cannot have too many chicken dishes. This lemon chicken is wicked easy to prepare and its delicious. Serve with antipasto vegetables, and couscous and you have a great meal. 

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

chicken breasts

9 cloves of garlic minced

1/3 cup white wine

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil 

tablespoon of lemon zest

2 tablespoons of lemon juice( use fresh lemons)

dried oregano

mined thyme

lemons

Method:

Set your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat and add the garlic and some oregano until the garlic is softened and fragrant. Add the garlic oil to the wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture into a baking dish. Place the chicken breasts in the baking dish and brush with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Next, cut lemon wedges and place them in the baking dish as well. Bake the chicken for about 30 to 40 minutes. Then place under the broiler to get a nice golden color. Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes and serve with the sauce. Enjoy!

Antipasto Vegetables:

Ingredients:

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

oregano

minced garlic

basil 

sliced eggplant

red pepper

green bell pepper

feta cheese

dijon mustard

quartered mushrooms

sliced onions

white wine

lemon juice

Method:

An easy way to roast a red bell pepper is to turn on your gas burner and char it on the flame. Even char the skin and when that is done, transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the pepper steam for about 10 minutes. After it has steamed for 10 minutes, peel the charred skin under cold water. Cut into strips and you will have roasted red peppers. If you don't have a gas burner, place on a baking sheet with oil and place in a 425 degree oven and make sure that each side is evenly browned. Repeat the steps from steaming the peppers in a bowl and you will have the same result. 

For the eggplant, I made a a balsamic vinaigrette. Combine the dijon, baslamic vinegar, olive oil, oregano, basil, and garlic until it becomes a salad dressing like consistency. Coat the eggplant slices with the vinaigrette and place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake the eggplant at a 400 degree oven for five minutes. After minutes flip the eggplant and cook for another 5 minutes. Flip the eggplant again and cook for 5 more minutes. After 15 minutes of total cooking time the eggplant should be done. Make sure to cool the eggplant at room temperature. 

For the mushrooms, I like to caramelize onions first. This should take about 7-8 minutes. When the onions are caramelized, I add the mushrooms in a single layer so that they get brown. The mushrooms should take about 3 minutes per side. I then add some garlic and cook for a minute before adding white wine and lemon juice to deglaze the pan. At the end of the cooking I like to add some basil and oregano. Let this cool at room temperature as well. 

For the antipasto platter, Arrange the sauteed mushrooms and onions, roasted red bell peppers, and eggplant on a dish. Garnish with diced green peppers and feta cheese. This is a great way of serving vegetables because it is great hot and cold. Enjoy!