Marinated Chicken with Chunky, Fresh Tomato Sauce

FavoriteLoadingAdd to favorites
image_print

Plan Z Phase: This is a Z2 (ZReduction) recipe. It’s colorful, it’s low cal and it’s very tasty.

Servings: Serves 2, can be multiplied.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar
  • juice of one large lemon
  • 2 chicken breast halves. Pound them down to a 1/3” thickness. The easy way to do this is to put them in a plastic bag and then pound with your meat mallot or in a pinch I pound them down with a can of something from the cupboard. Some grocery stores are offering scaloppini-style sliced chicken breast in the cooler. Check for them. That will work, too.
  • ½ tsp of Italian spice blend (or to taste)
  • olive oil spray
  • 1 clove of garlic minced (I use my rasp to mince it)
  • 2 small, or one large tomato chopped (you want at least one cup of chopped bits)
  • 3-4 basil leaves cut to a fine shred
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

On a large plate with a rim or in a container, pour the apple cider vinegar and lemon over the sliced chicken. Toss the pieces around to make sure they are all coated. Let stand in marinade for 10 minutes. Don’t marinate longer or the chicken will begin to “cook” in the acid marinade – similar to how ceviche “cooks.”

Spray a large sauté pan or grill pan with just a bit of olive oil. Add chicken. Sprinkle on the Italian spices and grate a bit of salt and pepper on the chicken.  Cook on medium high until one side is just slightly browned. Turn temp to medium and cook the other side the same way, and until there is no longer any pink in the chicken. For thin slices this won’t take more than 6 or 7 minutes. If you choose to leave your breasts full-size, you will need to cook them longer or you might choose to finish them in the oven so they stay moister.

While the chicken is cooking you can take your chopped tomato and put it in a bowl. Add the garlic and the basil shreds. Toss and season with salt and pepper to your taste.

To Serve Warm:

  • Put the hot chicken on your plate and mound the cold, chunk tomato sauce on top.

For Cold Service:

  • Store the chicken and sauce separately until packing for your picnic, pot luck,  or until you are ready to serve. For packing, put the chicken in your travel container and then add the tomato mixture on top. If serving cold at home, just put the chicken on a platter or plate and display the chunky sauce on top. It’s colorful, it’s low cal and it’s very tasty.

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Roasted Prime Rib

When I was a kid this was served at very special meals. My mother made hers plain. I had no idea how incredibly fabulous this meat could taste until I started adding the meat rub!

Zola-fied Berghoff Spinach

The Berghoff is a famous Chicago restaurant. Their creamed spinach is an institution in itself. This is my ZReduction version.

Cranberry Royale (EASY)

This is a takeoff of a cranberry bake recipe from Southern Living. This is homey, tasty, and not too sweet. Just a little cranberry twang but plenty of sweetness in the apples.

Chive Butter Biscuits

This is a combination of a few recipes I found. Love the fact that these are low carb and tasty!

How to Cheat on Your Diet at Thanksgiving

Remember, the average American gains at least 7 pounds over the holidays. You don’t have to follow the crowd.

Turkey Tips

Many people think the Thanksgiving turkey dinner is the most intimidating meal to make. It's not. Here's some rules to follow.