One of the biggest complaints that many people have about chicken breast dinners is that the meat tends to turn out dry or overcooked. Then they are forced to choke down a dinner they know is healthy, but isn’t pleasant and certainly won’t motivate them to eat it again.
This simple recipe for cooking en papillote (in parchment paper packets) is a foolproof way to inject tenderness and moisture into chicken breast, without any fancy time consuming techniques. By wrapping veggies and protein together with flavors and some liquid, the chicken cooks in the steam that is built up in the packet. This flavorful steam ensure a perfectly moist, perfectly flavorful chicken dinner – every single time!
In this recipe the sweet and tangy flavors of mustard, stevia and rosemary mingle with tender sweet potato, fresh green beans and moist chicken breast. Enjoy!
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon liquid stevia (or 1 tsp of honey)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
1 tablespoon chicken broth
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
4 thin sliced chicken breasts
sea salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a small bowl combine the shallots, whole grain mustard, Dijon mustard, stevia, olive oil, rosemary and chicken broth.
In a large bowl toss the sweet potatoes and green beans with half of the marinade. Rub the remaining marinade over the chicken breasts.
Cut four 12-by-16-inch pieces of parchment paper and fold each in half. Open the parchment paper and arrange ¼ of the sweet potato and green beans and a chicken breast in the center of the top half of each parchment. Generously season with salt and pepper. Top with a sprinkle of chives.
Fold the bottom half of the parchment paper over the chicken and veggies. Start folding and crimping the parchment paper ends together from one end all the way around to the other end, creating a sealed envelope. Fold the end under the packet. The packet should be fully encased, with no breaks in the parchment paper for steam to escape – we need that steam as part of the cooking process! Place the packets on a pan.
Bake the chicken and veggie packets for 30 minutes and remove from the oven. Serve the packets on plates, tearing them open just before serving. Enjoy!
Calories: 270
Fat: 11g
Carbohydrates: 15g
Sodium: 320mg
Fiber: 3g
Protein: 35g
Sugar: 4g