Who Says You Can’t Have an Elegant Meal on a Weeknight?
The addition of a little lemon and some wine can turn otherwise blah chicken into an elegant meal, and who wouldn’t like a relaxing, elegant meal after a day spent pleasing (or being) the boss? As an added bonus, this lemon chicken recipe is easy too – you can create it in the Crock-Pot so it’s ready and waiting for you when you get home. Instead of toiling in the kitchen after work, enjoy a glass of wine and catch up with the family.
Total Time: 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 6 bone-in chicken breasts
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions:
- In a mixing bowl, add the salt and pepper to the flour and stir with a fork to blend. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
- In a skillet, place the butter and turn the heat beneath the skillet to medium-high.
- To the skillet, add the olive oil. Add the chicken pieces when the oil begins to shimmer. Brown the chicken, taking care not to let the flesh cook too much. Remove the chicken and place it in the Crock-Pot.
- Into the skillet, pour the broth and the wine. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour the liquid over the chicken in the Crock-Pot.
- Cover the Crock-Pot and set it to low. Cook the chicken 6 to 7 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the Crock-Pot when about 30 minutes of cooking time remains. Add the lemon juice to the cooking liquid and stir. Return the chicken to the Crock-Pot to finish cooking.
- Remove the chicken after the full cooking time and drizzle it with a little of the cooking liquid. You can serve the remaining liquid on the side for anyone who wants extra.
Tip
If you make this on a weeknight, the 6-hour cooking time might mean that you have to run home on your lunch break to turn on the Crock-Pot. You can get everything ready in the morning up through Step 3. Place everything in the stoneware insert and pop it in the fridge, and then just return the stoneware to the Crock-Pot, plug it in, and let it do its thing.
The alcohol content of the wine will cook off before serving so it will be safe for your kids, but you can replace it with an additional 1/2 cup of broth if you prefer.
You can use skinless breasts or cook the the breasts skin-on. If you decide to leave the skin on, the cooking sauce will be richer.
As a variation and depending on your family’s tastes, you can add a little oregano, rosemary, garlic or all three to the flour mixture.
This chicken serves well on a bed of white rice or angel-hair pasta.
References
Writer Bio
Beverly Bird has been writing professionally since 1983. She is the author of several novels including the bestselling "Comes the Rain" and "With Every Breath." Bird also has extensive experience as a paralegal, primarily in the areas of divorce and family law, bankruptcy and estate law. She covers many legal topics in her articles.