Lemonade Chicken (small batch)

 

This delicious Lemonade Chicken recipe which I am sharing with you today is one which I had flagged on Pinterest a number of weeks back. I adapted it from one which I found on a blog called Dash for Dinner. 

The flavors sounded interesting and like something which I would enjoy. I adore lemon chicken, so why wouldn't I enjoy lemonade chicken.

The original recipe was cooked in the crockpot/slow cooker. I confess, although I do cook chicken in the slow cooker from time to time for convenience's sake, I am not overly fond of the texture of chicken which has been cooked in the slow cooker.

It seems to be too similar in texture to chicken which comes in the can.  And I am not a fan of canned chicken either.

 

I decided to cut the recipe in half (because I am a singleton) and I adapted it for cooking in the oven as I already had my oven on cooking other things.  

The end result was tender and moist chicken, with a tangy sauce, that was not overly sweet, but nice and lemony.  The addition of brown sugar and ketchup helps to prevent it from being too tart.

It was very easy to make and quick also, when done in the oven.  I had it on the table and was enjoying it in not much more than 40 minutes from beginning to end.  

I hope you will be inspired to give it a go one way or the other!

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LEMONADE CHICKEN

Just a few very simple ingredients.  I will explain any substitutions for any ingredients which might be difficult to find overseas.

• 2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup (120ml) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 TBS tomato ketchup
• 1 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 TBS rice wine vinegar
• pinch of white pepper
• pinch of salt
• 1 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
• 1 TBS cold water

 

The chicken breasts I had bought were actually exceptionally large, so I just cut one in half diagonally for this recipe.  As you can see from the photograph, this was a great size. 

I used the Minute Maid lemonade concentrate, Heinz Ketchup and seasoned rice wine vinegar. If you don't have rice wine vinegar you can use apple cider vinegar.

You may not be familiar with frozen lemonade concentrate if you live overseas.  This is a very common drink mix concentrate here in North America which comes frozen. Usually you will stir it together with 4 parts of water to make a container of drink.

Lemonade is not the same as what the British call the fizzy lemon/lime flavored drink, but more like a lemon cordial/juice. It is tart and sweet at the same time.  In the U.K. I would substitute undiluted lemon/lime cordial for it.  Something like Belvoir or Rose's would work beautifully. Do not dilute it.

I think everything else is pretty self-explanatory.

 

HOW TO MAKE LEMONADE CHICKEN

This is really easy to make, and you can cook it either in the oven or in a crockpot.  Today I cooked mine in the oven as I had the oven on making other things.  This is delicious.

Preheat the oven to 375*F/ 190*C/ gas mark 5. Butter a small casserole dish. (Trust me on this.)

Place the chicken breasts into the casserole dish. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour them over top of the chicken. Cover tightly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened somewhat, uncovering for the last 10 minutes.

 

You can also cook this in the slow cooker. Butter your slow cooker. Place the chicken into the bottom of the slow cooker. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour over the chicken.

Cover and cook on high for 2 - 3 hours, or low for 4 - 6 hours. Make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through.

 

YOU CAN ALSO MAKE THIS AS A SIMPLE FREEZER MEAL

Double the ingredients, popping two raw chicken breasts into one each of two zip lock baggies that you have labeled with the date and contents.

Whisk double the amount of ingredients as written below, omitting the water and cornstarch.  Pour half of the sauce into each bag. Zip closed, removing as much air as possible.  Pop into the freezer.

When you are ready to cook this thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The next day when you are ready to cook it proceed as per the recipe below.

 

I cooked mine in the oven. I am not always happy with the texture of chicken which has been cooked in the slow cooker.  This was tender and juicy with a lovely tangy glaze, with only a slice sweetness.

I served it with some brown rice and French cut green beans. It made for a most delicious meal! This would go well with noodles or potatoes as well.

 

We do eat a lot of chicken in this house, and it is usually in the form of a chicken breast. They are such a versatile protein adapting themselves to many flavors.  Here are a few other recipes for chicken breasts which we enjoy!

PAN ROASTED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH THYME - Although I have used chicken breasts with the skin on for this, you could also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They will not take quite so long to cook as this version, so be careful to not let them dry out. Crisp golden skin, deliciously tender and juicy meat, filled with bags of flavor. These are fabulously tasty!

CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH GOATS CHEESE & ARTICHOKES - This is a brilliant combination. Chicken breasts are stuffed with a lush cheesy and artichoke filling and then wrapped in Parma ham to hold everything in. They then get popped into a baking dish, fresh tomatoes sliced into wedges are scattered amongst them and the whole dish is roasted until the tomatoes form almost a sauce and the chicken is perfectly cooked, tender and juicy.  Altogether this is a simple dish with oodles of flavor that everyone will enjoy!

Yield: Makes 2 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Lemonade Chicken

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 45 Min

This is a very simple dish to make. Juicy and tender chicken with a delightfully sweet and tangy sauce. You can cook in the oven or in the slow cooker. It's your choice.

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup (120ml) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
• 1 TBS tomato ketchup
• 1 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 TBS rice wine vinegar
• pinch of white pepper
• pinch of salt
• 1 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
• 1 TBS cold water

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375*F/ 190*C/ gas mark 5. Butter a small casserole dish. (Trust me on this.)
2. Place the chicken breasts into the casserole dish. Whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour them over top of the chicken. Cover tightly.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened somewhat, uncovering for the last 10 minutes.
4. You can also cook this in the slow cooker. Butter your slow cooker. Place the chicken into the bottom of the slow cooker. Whisk the remaining ingredients together and pour over the chicken.
5. Cover and cook on high for 2 - 3 hours, or low for 4 - 6 hours. Make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through.

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