We recently traveled to Philadelphia to see family and were greeted by freezing temperatures and snow! We are still warming up a week later and have been having lots of coffee, hot chocolate and warm meals, including our delicious Lemon Butter Chicken with Roasted Parmesan Asparagus.
Lemon + Butter = A beautiful Combination!
This chicken dish is simple to make but loaded with flavor. Lemon usually goes over quite well with my kiddos, and when combined with butter, it's a guaranteed win.
Between the lemon, butter and broth, you are essentially creating a savory sauce for your chicken. While the chicken will absorb much of the sauce, you may have some leftover. Because our family was extra hungry, we made this dish with rice to absorb some of the extra sauce. You could also have egg noodles or any other pasta/grain/starch you like.
Note: If you truly want to complete this recipe in less than 30 minutes, it's important to purchase thinly sliced chicken breasts. A thicker cut of chicken may prolong cooking.
Assemble Asparagus First
Since you are dealing with two separate dishes (i.e. the chicken and the asparagus), I recommend preheating the oven and assembling the asparagus as a first step. Then, once you have started the chicken, the oven should be ready for your asparagus and you can cook both dishes at the same time.
A little Crunch Goes a Long Way!
While asparagus isn't technically in season, we can't help but enjoy this favorite veggie of ours year-round. And we love the added crunch that the bread crumbs and cheese give to this asparagus side dish. It's also incredibly simple to assemble. In fact, my daughter did most of the work on her own.
How kids can help make this dish
This dish involves many kid-friendly tasks, like measuring, cutting and combining ingredients. Here's are some ways for your lil' sous chefs to help out:
Chicken
- Flip chicken as it cooks. These are great tongs for this task!
- Bring ingredients to a simmer. This is a good chance for kids to monitor stovetop temperatures and see what happens when the heat increases/decreases.
Asparagus
- Rinse, dry and snip off ends of asparagus. Adults can use these OXO Kitchen Shears and kids can use these Kuhn Rikon snippers to clip the ends of the asparagus.
- Evenly coat asparagus with olive oil.
- Shake that cheese! Kids love sprinkling cheese atop the asparagus.
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Lemon Butter Chicken with Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
BUY IT
Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
- 1 lb asparagus (ends removed)
- 2 - 2 1/2 T olive oil
- 1/2 t Italian seasoning
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/4 t ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup parmesan (freshly grated or shredded)
Lemon Butter Chicken
- 3 T butter (divided)
- 3-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thinly sliced)
- 1 t basil (dried)
- 1 t rosemary (dried)
- 1 t thyme (dried)
- 1/2-1 t Seasoned Salt
- 1/2 t paprika
- 1/4 t crushed red pepper
- 1/4 t ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 T parsley (fresh, finely chopped)
- 2 cups Instant Rice
MAKE IT
Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Spread out rinsed and dried asparagus on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil (roll asparagus to ensure oil is evenly distributed). Mix together Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and Panko in small bowl, then sprinkle evenly over asparagus. Finally, sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until ends are starting to brown.
Lemon Butter Chicken
- While asparagus is cooking, melt 2 T of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Pat chicken dry. Mix basil, rosemary, thyme, Seasoned Salt, paprika, crushed red pepper, and black pepper in a small bowl. Season each side of the dry chicken breasts with 1/2 t of that seasoning mix, distributing it evenly on the chicken. Lay chicken down in skillet in melted butter and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the chicken, until cooked through. Set cooked chicken aside.
- Meanwhile, cook rice according to package.
- Reduce skillet to medium heat. Melt remaining 1 T of butter and sauté garlic for 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and lemon juice, and simmer sauce for 1 minute. Return chicken to pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes, turning chicken once to cover both sides with the sauce. Serve chicken topped with fresh parsley for garnish.
PLATE IT
What can my kids do while I cook?
Craft for this Recipe:
Play Food Asparagus! Your kids can make this Play Food Asparagus craft while you prepare this dish! It could not be easier to make this Asparagus Playfood. AND your kids can use it over and over again. Bonus: you prolly already have all the supplies! ✂️📗
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