Lex's Lite Roast Chicken Breasts

This is an attempt to lighten up the original Lex's Roast Chicken. Instead of using a whole chicken, chicken breasts were substituted to give the essence of the original without all the calories.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon olive oil
• 4  medium boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 3  large onions, halved, sliced into half-moons (about 2 lbs)
• 2  cups celery, sliced
• 2  teaspoons lemon zest, minced
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1⁄2 loaf  crusty  French bread, cut into 3/4 inch slices
• 1  lemon, juice of
• 1⁄4 cup chicken broth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil until hot but not smoking. Saute the chicken breasts until golden. Remove from pan, set aside covered to keep warm.
4. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to saute pan and heat. Saute onions and celery over medium heat for about 10 minutes; stirring occasionally. If onions begin to look dry, sprinkle with a few tablespoons of chicken broth, as needed.
5. Add zest, garlic, thyme, red pepper, salt and fresh pepper. Continue to saute until onions and celery and soft and translucent, about 5 more minutes; remove from heat. Stir in parsley and set aside.
6. Prepare roasting pan with cooking spray.
7. Layer bread, onion mixture, then chicken in the pan. Mix fresh lemon juice and chicken broth and pour over chicken breasts.
8. Cover the pan with foil and roast for 20 minutes. Uncover pan and continue roasting until the chicken reaches 160-165°F (5-10 minutes longer). Check for doneness.
9. Remove from oven, loosely cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
10. To serve, spoon some bread and vegetables onto each plate and top with chicken breasts.