Healthy and delicious don’t have to be opposites.
When I was growing up, I thought that "healthy" food meant it would taste gross, bland, and have way too much lettuce.
Now, after years of experimenting with healthy eating habits, I know that is just not true.
Healthy food can be just as delicious (and often even more delicious) than processed, packaged, or greasy food that comes in a box.
Earlier this week my husband and I made a super simple, super easy summery dinner that we just loved, so of course, I need to share the recipes with you!
My cooking style tends to disregard actual measurements in favor of a certain “I do what I want” style of experimentation. I also disregard some ingredients and make substitutions based on what I have on hand. So below you’ll find my riff on Crunchy Creamy Sweet’s Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken, and TasteofHome.com’s Peach and Arugala Salad. Please visit their websites for their full, original recipes!
Ingredients for Chicken:
Chicken breasts
1 Lemon (zested and juiced)
Flour (optional)*
Shallot (minced)
Garlic (minced)
Veggie or chicken broth
Whole milk
Corn starch
Olive oil
Ingredients for Salad:
Arugula
Spinach
1-2 large ripe peaches
Pine nuts (or other nuts)
Blue cheese
Ingredients for Dressing:
Red wine vinegar
Sugar or honey
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
To make the chicken:
Slice the breasts in half lengthwise, and salt and pepper each side before dredging through the flour*.
Put some olive oil in a pan to heat on medium-high.
Once the pan is hot, add the chicken in one layer on the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, and then remove the chicken from the pan.
To the same pan, add some more olive oil and the juice of 1/2 the lemon. Leave all the frond (chicken bits & drippings) in the pan to mix with the sauce. Adding the lemon juice first will help lift any stuck bits from the pan. Next, add the garlic and shallots to the pan and stir frequently until they become soft and fragrant.
Add the chicken broth and simmer for 2 minutes.
Next, add the milk and corn starch and stir to combine to thicken the sauce. Add the chicken back into the pan and turn off the heat while you work on your salad.
To make the salad:
Add the spinach, arugula, sliced peaches, blue cheese, and pine nuts together in a large bowl and mix to combine.
For the dressing, add all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combine. Then drizzle it over the salad. Taste to make sure it’s how you like it by dipping a piece of spinach in the dressing, instead of just tasting with a spoon.
All in all, this took us about 40 minutes to prepare from start to finish, and was absolutely delicious!
*You could easily leave off the flour or replace it with gluten-free flour to make this a gluten-free recipe.
I can't wait to make this for a dinner party of friends, once we're allowed to have parties again!
In the meantime, I'll just have to eat the leftovers myself!
