Quick Midweek Meal: Luscious Lemony Chicken that reminds me of France

Although I have all day to mess about in the kitchen at the minute, I like to spend my time doing other stuff as well so speed and ease is still really important when it comes to cooking our midweek meals. For me, the weekend is the time to try new recipes and experiment but that doesn't mean that I like to throw anything together at meal times during the week - I still like to enjoy good, tasty, well planned dishes that need minimal preparation and cooking. This recipe for chicken marinated in lemon, garlic and rosemary ticks all those boxes for me. 

I first had it when we were on holiday in France. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we ate it outside in the garden with some French beans, sauteed potatoes and a crusty baguette (and the obligatory glass of wine of course) and whenever I eat it I'm transported back there. It's typical of the simple, good food the French serve - little fuss but lots of flavour!

It's a really easy dish to make - it just needs to be prepared a couple of hours ahead of time to allow the lovely lemony flavours from the marinade to penetrate the chicken before cooking it. I love to eat it with greens and/or potatoes.

Chicken Breast with Lemon, Garlic and Rosemary

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts - either skin on or skinless whichever you prefer

Juice of 2 lemons

1 tbsp rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of cling film and flatten them slightly with a meat mallet or rolling pin. This will help to reduce the cooking time.

2. Mix together the lemon juice, rosemary, garlic and 1tbsp of the olive oil in a wide, shallow dish. 

3. Put the chicken breasts in with the mixture and turn them several times to ensure they are fully coated with it. Cover the dish with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

4. Heat the remaining tbsp of oil in a frying or griddle pan and place the chicken breasts in the pan. Fry over a medium heat for 6-7 minutes each side, depending upon the size of the breasts. Ensure the chicken is fully cooked through.

5. Remove from the pan and serve. To make it extra lemony, squeeze some additional lemon juice over the chicken breasts.