Discovering Meyer Lemons

You are probably thinking - lemon chicken - again? But...I can't get enough of lemon chicken, but I don't like any syrupy sauces, like from Chinese food places. So I tried a new recipe from Allrecipes, and I made a few changes. Also, I finally found Meyer lemons in my local grocery store - they are more of a cross between lemons and an oranges - and added a great new flavor to the dish. I paired it with some brown rice cooked in chicken broth and The Food Network

**Update - I made the chicken, and took a much better picture just below than the original (thank you new camera!) Also, I cooked it differently and like it better following the updated suggestions, which I will post below.




Baked Lemon Chicken with Mushroom Sauce
Submitted by: Joyce Sokoloff Rated: 4 out of 5 by 205 members
"Lemon-infused chicken is graced with a delicately smooth mushroom sauce."
( scaled down the recipe, it originally uses 6 chicken breasts)

3 skinless, boneless chicken
breast halves
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 lemon (I used one and a half meyer lemon, including zest of 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup chicken broth (I used 1/2 cup of fat free chicken broth)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (I used 1.5-2 tbsp)
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
I added one clove garlic, chopped

I added one teaspoon of herbes de provence

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Place the olive oil in an 8x8 glass baking dish. Place the chicken breasts in the dish, coating each side with oil. (I pounded chicken a little flatter to cook better) Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over all. Slice the rest of the lemon and place a lemon slice on top of each chicken piece. (Also added hebes de provence) Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until brown. (I baked about 50 minutes, the last 10 minutes were at 425 to get a bot more brown)

In a large skillet, melt the 1/4 cup butter or margarine. Add the sliced mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms are brown and have exuded their juices, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and blend. Add the chicken broth, stirring to make a medium thick sauce. (I also added some more lemon juice and garlic) Allow to reduce, adjusting with a little more broth to make a creamy sauce. Add fresh parsley at the last minute. Spoon the sauce over the lemon baked chicken breasts. Delicious!


**Alternative Cooking Method as quoted from the person who submited the recipe:

"Since writing this recipe I have changed to a skillet. Brown chicken breasts on both sides in olive oil. Squeeze 1/2 of a lemon over all. Cover with lid over medium heat. Cook til done. Turning a few more times. If you want it more lemony add a teaspoon of lemon zest. I have also added 1 more cup of mushrooms to the sauce. Thanks for the reviews."

Broccoli Florets with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds broccoli florets
3 tablespoons Meyer lemon olive oil (I whisked some extra virgin olive oil with meyer lemon juice)

Fill a large pot halfway with water. Cover and bring the water to a boil over high heat. (I used a steamer basket) Salt the water and add the broccoli. Boil until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Drain, transfer the broccoli florets to a large bowl, and toss with the oil to coat. Season the broccoli florets with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.