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Poached chicken breasts with green sauce

4
3
3
SmartPoints® value per serving
Total Time
38 min
Prep
18 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Poaching is one of the all-time-great low-fat cooking techniques, and WW members have relied upon it for years. Gently cooking foods in not-quite-simmering liquid is well suited for delicate and more mild-tasting foods. In this case, chicken breasts soak up the subtle flavors of vegetables, like onion, green pepper, carrot, and celery, as well as chicken broth, lots of fresh herbs, and white wine. The green sauce, with puréed parsley, green olives, lemon juice, dried bread crumbs, capers, olive oil, garlic, and pepper, makes for a pesto-like, tangy contrast. Combine the chicken, veggies, and sauce all together on one plate, and you have a tasty, easy, impressive-looking weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

Olive oil

2 tsp

Uncooked onion(s)

1 medium, chopped

Uncooked bell pepper(s)

1 item(s), medium, green, seeded and chopped

Uncooked carrot(s)

1 medium, peeled and chopped

Uncooked celery

1 rib(s), medium, chopped

Uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s)

1 pound(s), (4 breasts, 1/4 pound each)

Reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 cup(s)

White wine

½ cup(s), dry

Fresh parsley

2 Tbsp, flat-leaf, chopped

Fresh thyme

1 Tbsp, chopped

Garlic clove(s)

1 medium clove(s)

Bay leaf

1 leaf/leaves

White pepper

⅛ tsp, freshly ground, or to taste

Fresh parsley

1 cup(s), flat-leaf, leaves packed

Olive(s)

5 small, green, pitted and chopped

Fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp

Dried plain breadcrumbs

½ Tbsp

Capers

1 tsp, drained

Olive oil

1 tsp

Garlic clove(s)

1 medium clove(s)

White pepper

⅛ tsp, freshly grated, or to taste

Instructions

  1. To prepare the chicken: Heat a large nonstick skillet; swirl in the oil, then add the onion, green pepper, carrot, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are wilted, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the chicken, broth, wine, parsley, thyme, garlic, bay leaf, and white pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 12–15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce: Pulse the parsley, olives, lemon juice, bread crumbs, capers, oil, garlic, and pepper in a food processor until the mixture forms a coarse pesto-like sauce.
  4. Transfer the chicken and vegetables with a slotted spoon to a warmed platter. Discard the bay leaf; reserve the liquid remaining in the pan for another use. Arrange the chicken and vegetables on a platter, and top each chicken breast with a dollop of the sauce. Yields one breast with 1⁄4 cup vegetables and 2 tablespoons sauce.