I found a recipe a couple weeks ago on Pinterest that I really wanted to try. Figured tonight is the best night to do it. We stopped by the store to get fresh ingredients because I've watch too much Food Network and Cooking Channel, so I prefer the fresher ingredients rather than the pre-packaged.
These Lemon Butter Chicken Breasts can be found on my Hungry Hungry Hippo Pinterest board. The pin will link you to a Better Homes & Garden recipe. The picture looks fantastic, and yes - I am aware that BHG has people (probably paid well) to stage & take these pictures. But, still... YUM!
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| Photo from http://www.bhg.com |
This was really an easy and quick recipe. The fresh ingredients really did help. John said he would eat it again. So, I can totally see you sitting there wondering why this was a questionable Win. Well... I failed to give the second part of John's comment. Of course there was a second part!
I wish you could have been there when John took his first bite. I was plating my dinner and looked up as he did it. I was torn... cry at another failure or laugh at his expression. It looked like he might choke if he had to swallow it.
I asked him what was wrong, and then he laughed and said that he needs to quit teasing me because I take him so seriously. Don't worry ladies, I didn't fall for it. And, men, we aren't stupid. Geesh!
I sit down next to John (we ate on the couch to watch the Bar Rescue marathon). I took my first bite, and coincidentally made the same face John did. Once I swallowed it, the taste wasn't too bad. It was actually good. Makes you wonder what was wrong with it, huh?
First, let me tell you some of the "enhancements" I made to the recipe. I added two cloves of freshly minced garlic. Totally a good idea. I also added some lemon zest to the flour. Not sure, but thinking that was the problem.
Overall, this was a good dinner. John is traveling this week, so I am eating the leftovers and I want to. I will be happy doing it. I swear!
Ok, fine... I'll get to the point (aka the problem). The lemon flavor tasted bitter. It's weird. It wasn't too lemony, but it was a bittery lemon. I can't pinpoint what went wrong, but think it is the lemon zest. Maybe I should not have put it in the flour? I don't know. If you have any ideas, let me know.
I'm definitely making it again. But might just do the one enhancement: fresh garlic. Recipes that don't ask for garlic confuse me. Not trifle, cheesecake or a garden salad... but any entrée. We need garlic in our lives. Garlic is a godsend.
I'm sorry, I totally digressed here with the garlic. Basically, this dish is good. I'd make it again and John said he wants me to. It even looked really good (proof below), I just need to figure out why it's so bitter?
You can check out the recipe here: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/poultry/lemon-butter-chicken-breasts/
Ok, bitter detectives... help me figure this out!
Lee - I tried to comment earlier, but I'm not sure if it got through. If the lemon slices were used in the cooking of the dish, that's the likely culprit. The zest shouldn't be bitter. It's actually the pith (white part) that would cause the bitter taste, so putting whole slices will have that effect. I would maybe try fewer or no lemon slices, and perhaps more juice/zest. Looks yummy, though!
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