Lemon Chicken

Made this dish tonight for the first time and it was delicious!!  Sort of like the lemon chicken you would get from a Chinese restaurant, but way better!  My kids weren't fond of the sauce, but you could just give the kids plain rice with a little butter and salt and the chicken without the sauce.  We also had green beans with it.  My hubby and I ate it over rice and it was awesome!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

PS: The recipe comes from Carol Fenster's 100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes cookbook.

LEMON CHICKEN

4 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup gluten-free chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons dried chives or 6 green onions, green parts only, finely chopped diagonally, for garnish
4 cups hot cooked basmati rice, for serving

1)  Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels.  With a meat mallet, pound the chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap until slightly flattened.

2)  In a medium bowl, combine the 1/2 cup cornstarch and the salt.  Dip each chicken breast in the cornstarch mixture to coat thoroughly.

3)  In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Cook the chicken breasts until nicely browned and cooked through and the juice is no longer pink when the centers of the thickest pieces are pierced, about 5 minutes per side.  Remove from the skillet and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

4)  Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch and the ginger into 1/4 cup broth until smooth.  Add to the skillet, along with the remaining 3/4 cup broth and the honey.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in lemon juice, vinegar and lemon zest.

5)  Cut each chicken breast into 4 slices, slightly at a diagonal.  Arrange on a serving plate and pour the sauce over the chicken.  Sprinkle with the chives and serve immediately with the rice.

NOTES:

~I didn't use the chives or green onions, it's really just for a garnish, so it's optional.  For company, I would add it for sure!

~I used 4 chicken breasts and pounded them pretty thin - maybe 1/2 an inch.  I didn't serve it the way they recommend, but again, for company, you might want to go that route.  I just put rice on each plate, then bite sized pieces of chicken and then covered it with the sauce.  We have lots of leftovers, and I could have doubled the sauce for that much chicken.  For less leftovers, use two chicken breasts and then the amount of sauce above should be perfect.

~I used Minute (white) rice and it was great.