Easy Lemony Chicken Bites
Taking photos of food is a very inexact science, especially for me, a self-taught, often technically challenged photographer. Sometimes I surprise myself and take a winning shot right off the bat, but more often I take 20 photos of the same shot to get one good picture. And then there are the times when I can’t seem to get a good shot no matter what I do. Couple this with the fact that since we moved, my space and lighting are definitely compromised. All of this long-winded explanation (sorry) to explain why I’ve been making this pretty terrific and easy chicken dish for months, but am only sharing now. And it’s still not even an amazing photo but I’ve accepted the fact that this is as good as it’s going to get!😘
But don’t let the non-beauty of this dish deter you because these little lemony chicken bites are absolutely delish!
Tender, flavorful, bite-size and a little off the beaten path—something that’s hard to achieve when we’re dealing with the ordinary boneless chicken breast!
They’re also a snap to prepare and come together with staple fridge and pantry ingredients.
Perfect for busy weeknights ‘cause they only need an hour or so to marinate and another 15 minutes or so of last minute sautéing.
And they go with practically everything. Here I’m serving them with rice, roasted zucchini and homemade flatbreads (I’m working on getting a good shot of those too—I’ll share soon—bear with me) but the truth is that they would be great atop a salad or stuffed into a pita or whatever way you can dream up.
I promise you’ll love ‘em (and the fact that you don’t have to take a picture of them either!) Oh, the woes of food blogging!😭😭
Easy Lemony Chicken Bites
Makes 4-5 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
2-3 garlic cloves, smashed
The juice of one large lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 rounded tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra for sauteing
Pinch or two of kosher salt and black pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
The Recipe
1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, oil and salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and toss well to coat. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for 1-2 hours but not more or the acid from the vinegar and lemon juice will start to break down the chicken.
2. Heat a large heavyweight skillet over medium-high heat and add just a slick of oil to barely coat the pan. When pan is very hot, drain chicken from the marinade as much as possible (a slotted spoon helps) and cook chicken for a few minutes without turning, so that it gets a nice sear on the bottom, then turn and let sear on the other side and continue to cook, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through to your liking. Serve immediately.
3. The recipe doubles well—just double the marinade ingredients and chicken but cook in two batches —you don’t want to crowd the pan.
Enjoy!
