Spring is a wonderful time for entertaining, and my lemon-herb chicken is a perfectly easy and elegant entree for the season.
Lemon-herb chicken is very simple to prepare, but the flavor of the finished dish is just delicious. I came up with the idea for the recipe after a conversation with Jean Duncan, a friend who is a wonderful cook. She had tried a version of poppy-seed chicken that included lemon juice and sherry.
After the conversation, I came home and couldn't stop thinking about the combination. Then I remembered a recipe my mother makes for group gatherings in which boneless chicken breast halves are layered with Swiss cheese, then topped with cream of chicken soup and crushed herb stuffing. I combined the two recipes, and came up with this simple yet elegant entree.
Boneless chicken breast cutlets can be bought at many local supermarkets. They are smaller than regular chicken breast halves, and often are larger breasts cut in half. Since Fran Frye, the dietitian who analyzed the nutrients in previous recipes, alerted me that most chicken breast halves are much larger than the recommended serving size, I have begun using the breast cutlets or slicing larger breast halves in half horizontally. The cutlets are seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and a slice of Swiss cheese. I used pre-sliced "light" Swiss cheese when testing the recipe, but any variety of Swiss cheese can be used. The cheese melts into the sauce ingredients, providing a "mystery flavor" to the dish.
The cheese-topped chicken breasts are spread with a simple, flavorful sauce, which starts with a can of cream of chicken soup. The sauce is made richer with the addition of sour cream, followed by the ingredients that take this dish over the top - about half a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and some sherry.
Finally, the chicken is topped with a combination of crushed herb stuffing cubes and melted butter. It will take four cups of the stuffing cubes to yield the two cups of crushed stuffing needed to top the dish. Then, just pop the dish in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes.
The dish can be made ahead and refrigerated - but don't top with the stuffing and butter mixture until just before baking.
This lemony chicken is wonderful served at a luncheon with some muffins and steamed asparagus, or at an evening event with a wonderful salad, white rice and yeast rolls.
Write to Karin Calloway in care of The Augusta Chronicle Newsroom, P.O. Box 1928, Augusta, GA 30903. Or send e-mail to karin.calloway@comcast.net. You can find previous Quick Cooking recipes through the online archive at augustachronicle.com/karin.
LEMON-HERB CHICKEN
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut in half horizontally
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese, cut in half
1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons sherry
4 cups Herb Stuffing cubes, crushed
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the chicken breast cutlets in the dish and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Top each cutlet with half a slice of Swiss cheese. Combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, lemon juice and sherry and spread over the chicken breasts. Combine the crushed stuffing and melted butter or margarine and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake for 45 minutes.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutritional information per serving: 537 calories, 40 grams protein, 29 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 29 grams fat, 11 grams saturated fat, 124 milligrams cholesterol and 1359 milligrams sodium.
Nutrition analysis provided by Michelle Baglio, a licensed and registered dietitian of the Augusta District Dietetic Association. Send questions via e-mail to augustadietitian@yahoo.com.
COMING April 23: BBQ Bake
See Karin prepare the recipe at noon Tuesday on WJBF-TV (Channel 6).
