Green Olive-Lemon Chicken

Okay, I'm going to level with you: I hate cooking meats. Even fish is just too much for me to deal with sometimes. During the process, I'm just sitting there thinking, "This is going to be undercooked and someone is going to get sick and then their stomach will just fall right out and it will be all my fault for not just making a stupid salad!" My man usually has to step up to the plate if we're going to have steak or pork or mahi-mahi. He's a saint for several reasons.

This recipe, though, is soo good, I'm willing to face my fear of cooking chicken. Lemon and green olives are a perfect flavor combination: slightly tart and salty, and the lemon helps detract from some of the bitterness of the olive. Serve over white or brown rice. Trust me. You don't want to waste any of the delicious sauce, full of shallots, white wine and cumin. I'm going to eat leftovers of this meal while typing this post.

I made a couple of changes to the original recipe, but they're small and done because I don't have a zester.

Lemon Chicken with Olives (adapted from Real Simple, here)
2 Tbsp. flour
Juice of 1 lemon*
1 tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper
1 lb. chicken tenders
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1 c. green olives, halved
3/4 c. white wine

1. On a plate, combine the flour, cumin and 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper. Coat chicken with flour mixture, tapping off any excess.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in two batches until golden, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plat.
3. Heat remaining oil in skillet, and reduce heat to medium. Add the shallots and cook until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add olives, wine and lemon juice, and bring to a boil.
4. Place chicken back into skillet. Simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 4-6 minutes.
5. Enjoy!
*When squeezing lemons for their juice, just use a mini-strainer to catch the seeds. Plus, mini things are ridiculously cute, even if they're kitchen utensils.