20-Minute Grilled Garlic Lemon Chicken w/ asparagus and sweet potato
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Recipe type: Main Dish/Paleo
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 very large chicken breasts or 4 small ones
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided (3 for marinade & 1 for sweet potatoes)
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed (aka minced. but don't use the crap in the jar!)
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • salt & pepper to taste (a few dashes of each)
  • 2 bunches asparagus
  • 2 large or 4 small sweet potatoes
  • garlic powder to taste (a few generous dashes)
Instructions
  1. As early as the night before, in a shallow rectangular dish, mix 3 tablespoons of olive oil with the juice of two lemons (using the lemon juicer from my Eat.Clean.Quick. toolkit post makes this a cinch!)
  2. Peel 4 cloves of garlic (smashing them with the side of the blade of a wide knife makes this quick!) and put them through a garlic press (again from my Eat.Clean.Quick. toolkit post). Use the knife to scrape all the juicy garlic bits from the press into the dish.
  3. Whisk the marinade together with a fork and set aside.
  4. Prepare the chicken by slicing large breasts in half lengthwise to get 4 thin breast pieces. If you're using small breasts, they should be pounded into even thickness for optimum cooking. This can be done with the bottom of a small fry pan if you don't have a meat mallet. Cover the breasts with a sheet of wax or parchment paper first to keep things neat.
  5. Next, lay the chicken breasts into the marinade for as much time as you have. Be sure to flip them a few times to coat them well (see picture below).
  6. Put your marinading chicken into the fridge until you're ready to use it.
  7. At meal time, preheat your oven to broil (place top rack on the highest level) and prepare your potatoes.
  8. Scrub the sweet potatoes under cool water to remove any dirt or debris. Using a sharp knife, remove the hard ends and any unsightly blemishes.
  9. You can peel the potatoes at this point or leave the skin on. Depends on your preference! I removed the skins to appease my 3 year old.
  10. Slice each sweet potato into approximately ¼ inch slices. (see picture below and note my tiny cutting board! LOL)
  11. Put all slices into a medium mixing bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, a few dashes of salt, pepper and garlic powder until evenly coated.
  12. Spread oiled potato slices onto a large baking sheet in a single layer and set aside.
  13. Rinse and dry the asparagus and snap the woody end pieces off of each stalk. Put some water into the bottom of a pan and add asparagus to a steam basket (or just into the water if you don't have a steamer.
  14. Remove chicken breasts from marinade and grill until fully cooked, approximately 6 minutes on each side or until they feel firm when you press on them. If you don't have a grill or want to use it, you can broil them for the same amount of time.
  15. While chicken is cooking, add the potatoes to the oven and broil for 10-15 minutes or until soft and not overly browned.
  16. About 10 minutes before you're ready to eat, heat the asparagus pan over high heat. This will allow the water to come to a boil and steam the asparagus until they are tender-crisp.
  17. Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes while you plate the asparagus and potatoes. This will allow the juices to redistribute.
  18. Enjoy!
Recipe by Daily Rebecca at https://www.dailyrebecca.com/2013/08/20-minute-grilled-garlic-lemon-chicken/