Lemon and dill chicken with parmesan roasted asparagus

As I recently conceded on my Instagram page, I am actually obsessing over dill a little bit at the minute. I have always enjoyed any dish which has incorporated dill, but it wasn’t until a chance encounter with a ‘dill mayonnaise’ at dinner recently that I really did sit up and pay attention. It was so freaking delicious, I swear I would have drank the whole little serving dish had I not thought I might be judged, harshly, and maybe never taken out for dinner again. 😄

Needless to say I knew a ‘dill-something-or-other’ needed to be incorporated in my meal plan the following week.

I find that dill works really well with lemon and so I put together a really quick and simple recipe for a dill and lemon chicken. I also had some asparagus in the veggie crisper so roasted those as a yummy side. We were quite full after a big day celebrating Grace’s first birthday so this was a perfect ‘light’ meal, but if you wanted something a bit heartier, some herbed roasted potatoes would work a treat.

I should also say that even though Rob had actually said not to worry about making dinner for him that night as he “was not hungry at all”, he polished off the entire plate. As did Evelyn, my notoriously fussy eater. And while Grace had a previously made dinner from the freezer, I think she would absolutely enjoy this as well, perhaps with the chicken shredded a bit to make it easier for her.

This meal is very quick to make, uses one skillet and a roasting pan (for the asparagus) and can be made in about half an hour. A quick and delicious meal that would be perfect for a mid week meal plan.

One more thing – I cheated and used dill in a tube. Not for any other reason, but the fact my local woolies had no dill when I came to purchase some. But, this stuff is the freaking bomb – this small tube contains 2 bunches of fresh dill and is mixed with some oil and sea salt. You just squeeze a blob into your dinner (that sounds appetising, doesn’t it?) and you get all those glorious, DILL-icious flavours (will never get old) without the hassle of chopping the herbs. It also lasts much longer than cut herbs would last in your fridge. I would definitely recommend you try the tube for this recipe, I can’t recommend it enough!

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INGREDIENTS

2 x chicken breasts, sliced lengthways into thinner pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 cup salt reduced chicken stock*
2 tsp flour
2 tbsp dill paste
juice of half a lemon

1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp grated parmesan
salt and pepper

*If you don’t have salt reduced chicken stock I would suggest you use 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and 1/2 cup of water to make sure it is not too salty.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2 adults (and a little whippersnapper)

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HOW TO

To make the asparagus

Preheat oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Wash and trim the woody ends off the asparagus. If you are not sure where you should be trimming your asparagus spears, you simply bend each spear and it will snap where the woody part of the asparagus meets the tender part of the spear – and that is where you should trim it to.

Lay the trimmed asparagus spears on your baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan.

Pop in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until roasted through. Turn once while cooking. Note your cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the asparagus spears, so keep an eye on yours and take them out when yours are just tender. Cover with foil to keep warm until you are ready to serve.

Note: Freshly grated parmesan would work a million times better than the pre-grated one I used – but i didn’t have any! When it had been in the oven the cheese melted and so I mopped it up with the roasted asparagus and it still worked a treat.

To make the chicken

Coat your thinly sliced chicken breasts with a drizzle of olive oil and a *light* seasoning of salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tbsp oil and butter in a large heavy based skillet.

Add the chicken and cook until seared – about three minutes on each side, then transfer to a plate and cover with aluminium foil.

Meanwhile, turn the pan heat down. Add the other tbsp oil and fry the onions. Wait until the onions are a bit soft before adding the garlic. If you notice the onion and garlic sticking to the pan a little bit add a splash of the chicken stock to caramelise a little bit.

Add the chicken stock, dill, and lemon juice to the pan, stir to combine. Next, add the flour and use a whisk to stir through and break down any lumps and bumps of the flour. (Yes, I know this is not a whisk, I swapped over after I took this photo!) Allow the sauce to simmer for about 3 minutes.

Add the chicken, as well as any pan juices back to the pan. Cover the chicken pieces with the sauce and allow to simmer for about 3 more minutes until the chicken has fully cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Switch off the heat.

Lay your roasted asparagus on the plate and top with the cooked chicken. Drizzle with the lemon and dill sauce. ENJOY!!! 💜