Recipe :: Lime & Red Pepper Chicken

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You know your life is busy when the only time you have to eat is when you're driving in the car, multitasking at work or after 8pm. That may or may not have been a quick synopsis of my eating habits. I also have a strong feeling that I'm not the only one who eats like this, considering Americans are known for always being on the go. The other night, my husband and I finally had a little time on our hands and decided to make something new and delicious for dinner – we just didn't know what. The only thing we knew was that we were starving and had chicken thawed out in the fridge. I almost made our typical herbed chicken with wild rice meal, but my husband pointed out that he wasn't trying to eat healthy like me (ha) and he wanted some pasta! 

After a couple twirls of confusion in the kitchen, I threw the chicken in the skillet with some handy dandy olive oil and got my "chef" on. We had a lime and red pepper on hand, so I decided to make a dish that reminded me of a meal that we had in Mexico on our honeymoon. Unfortunately we didn't have any tomatoes, otherwise I would have added diced tomatoes too! After throwing a few ingredients together, I discovered that the dish actually turned out amazingly well and somehow we ended up eating all 3 chicken breasts, plus the pasta that we made (did I hear someone say "fatty"?) This dish ended up being SO good, I just had to share it! If you're on a diet, you can substitute the pasta for brown rice, whole wheat pasta or zucchini noodles. The best part? It's quick enough to make even on your busiest day! 

Lime & Red Pepper Sautéed Chicken

Time: Approx 30 Mins

Ingredients

Olive Oil

Boneless Chicken Breasts (I used 3)

Black Pepper

Parsley

White wine (About 2/3 Cup)

Minced Garlic (Heaping Tablespoon)

Lime (About 1/2 of lime needed)

Red Pepper (As desired)

Tomato (As desired)

*No strict measurement needed!

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan, just over medium and add a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic. You should add enough oil so it covers the entire bottom of your pan.

2. Boil water and cook pasta or rice.

3. Add boneless chicken breasts and sauté until cooked all the way through. Sprinkle with a dusting of black pepper and generously add parsley. (Parsley is mostly for color, it doesn't have strong flavor). As the chicken begins to turn white, I slice the chicken into pieces (it's easier to cut when cooked). 

4. Once the chicken is completely cooked, add about 3/4 cup white wine and turn the burner down to medium-low. 

5. Cut the 1/2 lime into about 3 pieces, squeeze the juice out over the chicken. Simmer the peels in the mixture (take out before serving).

6. Add your sliced red pepper and diced tomato. You do not want to cook these through all the way because they will get soft, you basically just want them warmed and have a very slight crunch left. 

Serve warm, spooning the white wine sauce over the pasta/rice and bed of chicken and vegetables. 

Enjoy!