I’m not huge on chicken EXCEPT for white meat and cooked in a certain way only! So I’m always looking for recipes for chicken breast other than grilling in the airfryer. Thankfully I found this recipe to try one Sunday when my son and his fa,ily were coming over for dinner. I said I wanted to throw some chicken breast in the oven and this was perfect!

The outcome: my son loves it and my granddaughter, Isabelle, especially, loves it!

Of course, for now I’m losing the “kick of heat” for Isabelle’s sake. It’s a lovely recipe — the chicken breast is succulent and not dry. It’s also flavourful. The first time I made it, I didn’t pound the chicken breast as directed (because I didn’t read it !) Instead, I pricked each breast in a few places with a fork and I think it made the chicken more flabourful.

I served it with a medley of roasted vegetables and as a side, barley mushroom risotto!

Next time I will try serving it with cous cous.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

4 large chicken breasts (approximately 200g each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed (FOR KETO: use brown sugar substitute)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or thyme, parsley, rosemary)
1 teaspoon salt (use seasoned salt or chicken salt for extra flavour)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

For a kick of heat

1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauce / Gravy (Optional)

3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley
Chicken cube or granules

Directions

Preheat oven to 220°C (standard ovens) or 200°C (fan forced or convection ovens).

Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, pound each chicken breast to 2cm at the thickest part. Make sure your fillets are all the same thickness to ensure even cooking.

Combine sugar, paprika, oregano, salt, powders, pepper and chili (if using).

Line a baking pan with aluminum foil (or parchment/baking paper). Add chicken to the pan and toss them in the seasoning. Drizzle with the oil and rub seasoning all over to evenly coat each breast. 

Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a meat thermometer indicates an internal temperature of 75°C. It should be golden with crisp edges.

Remove parchment paper. Grill on high heat during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking until golden and crisp.

While the chicken is in the oven, melt butter in a small skillet. Sauté garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds), and remove pan from heat. Stir in parsley, then pour butter mixture into pan juices, stirring well to combine all of the flavours together. Taste, and add chicken cube or granules for more flavour, if desired.

When chicken is cooked, remove pan from oven, transfer chicken to serving plates and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

To serve, drizzle the sauce or gravy over the chicken and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.

Nutrition

Calories per serving: 166kcal 

Carbohydrates: 1g
Protein: 24g
Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 72mg
Sodium: 713mg
Potassium: 435mg
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 1g

Vitamin A: 403IU 
Vitamin C: 1mg
Calcium: 14mg
Iron: 1mg