Chicken with Artichokes and Melted Lemons 

The Best Life Diet by Bob Greene (Oprah’s personal trainer)

 Simple yet elegant, this is the kind of dish that’s perfect for entertaining.

Serves 4

            2 teaspoons olive oil

            4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about1 pound)

            Juice of 1 lemon

¾ cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth, such as Healthy Valley no-salt added chicken broth or Pacific Foods low-sodium chicken broth.

1 lemon, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons capers with juice

One 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat. When the olive oil is heated, swirl it to cover the bottom of pan. Add the chicken breasts and sear them until browned. Turn the chicken breasts and brown them on the other side. Remove the chicken to a plate and increase the heat to high. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice, scraping up any browned bits into the sauce.

Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the lemon slices to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and place the chicken breasts on top of the lemon slices. Add the capers, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and add the drained artichoke hearts. Cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes, or until the breasts are cooked through.

Remove the chicken to a warm plate. Increase the temperature and reduce the sauce to a glaze. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Just a little salt will reduce the acidity of the lemons, capers and artichokes and balance the flavors. Serve the chicken with the artichoke hearts, capers, and melted lemons drizzled with the glaze.

PER SERVING, ABOUT: Calories: 186, Protein: 29 g, Carbohydrate: 34 g, Dietary Fiber: 6 g, Total Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 66 mg, Calcium: 79 mg, Sodium: 552  mg.