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Skillet Lemon Glazed Chicken

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, from about 1 lemon, zest before juicing
  • ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 2 lemons
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger (see note)
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite-size pieces
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil or olive oil
  • Sprinkle of parsley or cilantro for serving, optional

Instructions 

  • For the lemon glaze, whisk together the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger, and cornstarch. Set aside.
  • Pat the chicken pieces dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper (don't skip this step or else your chicken will be bland and tasteless).
  • Heat the sesame or olive oil (or a combination - yum!) in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until rippling. It should be very hot to get that chicken nice and golden.
  • Add the chicken in a single layer to the hot skillet and brown on all sides (this is why it's important to have a hot skillet). It will cook all the way through in the next step.
  • Whisk the honey lemon glaze mixture to recombine and pour it into the skillet with the chicken. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
  • Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro, if using. Serve over hot, cooked rice, quinoa, or whatever else your heart desires (or just serve on its own).

Notes

Ginger: for the fresh ginger, I always freeze 1-inch, unpeeled pieces of ginger and pull them out of the freezer to use in recipes like this. Straight from the freezer, the fresh ginger grates beautifully on a microplane/rasp grater or on the small holes of a box grater.
Hot Sauce: if you like a little heat with your sweet, add hot sauce to the lemon glaze mixture to taste.
Salt + Pepper: it's really important to add salt and pepper to taste at the end to help balance the flavors of the lemon sauce.