Lemon Butter Chicken with Asparagus

An American-style weeknight main built around seared chicken breasts, asparagus cooked in the same pan, and a quick lemon butter sauce. Rice is included as the essential accompaniment so the dish reads as a complete dinner within the 30-minute series constraint.

By Julienne

Cook time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 200 g white rice rinsed
• 500 ml water for rice
• 2 g fine salt divided
• 3 g fine salt divided
• 1 g black pepper divided
• 20 ml olive oil divided
• 680 g boneless skinless chicken breasts patted dry; each breast lightly flattened to even thickness
• 10 ml olive oil divided
• 400 g asparagus trimmed and cut into 5 cm pieces
• 3 clove garlic cloves minced
• 120 ml low-sodium chicken broth for sauce
• 1 whole lemon zested and juiced
• 30 g unsalted butter divided
• 1 g black pepper divided
• 3 g fine salt divided
• 15 g unsalted butter divided
• 8 g fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

1. Combine the rice and water in the saucepan with 2 g of the salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low, and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep covered. Rice is tender and all water is absorbed.
2. While the rice cooks, season the chicken with 3 g of the salt and 1 g of the black pepper. Chicken is evenly seasoned.
3. Heat 20 ml of the olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 74°C, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Chicken is browned outside and at 74°C in the center.
4. Add the remaining 10 ml olive oil to the skillet. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes, stirring once or twice, until bright green and crisp-tender. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Asparagus is bright green with some bite and the garlic smells fragrant.
5. Add the broth, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in 30 g of the butter, the remaining 1 g of black pepper, and the remaining 3 g of salt, then simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly glossy. Sauce looks lightly emulsified and lightly thickened.
6. Return the chicken and any juices to the skillet. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the chicken is hot through. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 15 g butter and the parsley. Chicken is hot, the sauce is glossy, and the parsley is distributed.
7. Serve the chicken and asparagus over the rice with the lemon butter sauce spooned on top. Plates are hot, sauced, and ready to serve.