Lemon-Tarragon Chicken with Broccoli

Lemon-Tarragon Chicken with Broccoli

I was thrilled to find out that one of my favorite chicken recipes could be made WLS friendly with just a little tweaking. I used spelt flour in place of regular flour – although you can certainly use white or whole wheat flour if it is part of your diet plan, or you favorite flour substitute, decreased the amount of olive oil, and increased the ratio of yogurt to sour cream for a lighter dish with all of the flavor of the original casserole. Don't like tarragon? Thyme, rosemary, and oregano also make for good herbs to use in this dish.

2 tablespoons spelt flour (60 calories, 2 grams protein)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crumbled dried tarragon
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (for testing we used 2 pounds) (1024 calories, 184 grams protein)
1 tablespoon olive oil (119 calories)
1 16-ounce bag frozen broccoli (150 calories, 10 grams protein)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt (160 calories, 29 grams protein)
1/3 cup sour cream (150 calories, 2.5 grams protein)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and heavily grease a medium casserole or baking dish. Mix together the spelt flour, salt, pepper, and tarragon in a large plastic bag or shallow bowl. Add the chicken breasts and toss well to coat with the flour mixture. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, and once hot, add the chicken breasts and quickly brown on both sides. Place the chicken breasts in the prepared casserole, leaving the pan juices in the skillet. While the chicken is cooking, microwave the frozen broccoli for two minutes, or until thawed but not thoroughly cooked and drain well. Top the chicken breasts with the broccoli. Add the remaining ingredients, along with any remaining flour mixture, to the skillet and bring to a gentle simmer. Do not bring to a boil. Immediately pour the sauce over the broccoli and chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken breasts are cooked through.

Makes 8 servings.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

1663 calories and 227.5 grams protein total
208 calories and 28.5 grams protein per serving