Are you too chicken to try Paleo?

Well, after reading today’s blog, you just may be ready to take the first leap.

You may or may not know what “Paleo” is.

Some think it’s eating only meat. Some think it’s only raw vegetables. Some think you have to dress like Fred Flintstone and order that side of brontosaurus ribs at the drive in….

Okay, so I made up that last part… but you get the idea.

Paleo is a way of eating that a large number of people have embraced in recent years, and of those people that I know personally, each of them has become much healthier, and they’ve even lost weight. I won’t get into the whole Paleo thing here, but I’m giving you a really good link to check out if you’d like: Robb Wolf’s explanation of Paleo.

So, why are we talking Paleo anyway??

Because I want you to try a new recipe, silly. Plus, you’ll never miss the gluten, etc…. You’ll just love it 🙂

Being that it’s along the Paleo guidelines, you’ll know you’re eating in a healthy manner. Which is good, because I’ll probably blog about some kind of chocolatey dessert in a couple weeks. I mean, hey… we gotta keep the playing field even, right?

This organic lemon-coconut chicken is so tasty – I can pretty much guarantee you’ll really wish you made a double batch so you can have leftovers the next day.

Paleo Lemon Coconut Chicken
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2 Organic boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 Large Organic Lemon

2 Tbsp Organic Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

4 Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil

*Note: you’ll need a large covered pan for this recipe. A glass lid works best, since you can watch the progress of the chicken’s cooking.

Cut one end off of lemon; cut 4 more medium slices. Set aside.

Carefully cut peel from remaining lemon, so that the bitter white pith remains on the fruit.
Cut any white off of peel.  Mince lemon peel into tiny pieces. Set aside.

With a very sharp knife, butterfly chicken breast (make a cut that is parallel to the cutting board, about 3/4 of the way through the breast.)
Open up the top piece, as though you were opening a book.

Lay two lemon slices on one half of chicken breast; cover lemon with coconut, and a pinch or two of lemon zest.
Set remaining zest aside for later.

Close the chicken back up and tie it together.

→ For this meal, I used silicone ties which my sister Robin gave to me years ago.
I cannot count how many times those ties have been used… but if you don’t have any, you NEED them. Really!
You could also use kitchen twine, if you don’t have fancy-schmancy ties. 😉

Heat oil on high heat in a large pan.  When oil is hot, carefully place chicken in pan, making sure that stuffing remains inside.
When the edges begin to turn from pink to white about ¼” all around on the top, flip the chicken over to sear the other side.

When well seared on both sides, add remaining lemon zest, reduce heat to medium and cover.

Cook until done, approximately 5-10 minutes more, depending upon the size of the breast.

**The pan juices are amazing. I think next time those need to be blended with some arrowroot powder for thickening.

For this  organic meal, I served it with skinned blood orange slices and lemon green beans.

What I didn’t photograph is the fan of avocado slices that were laid across the top of the chicken before it was eaten. Oh my was that a great addition!

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I’d love to know what you think – and, do you think you’ll try it next time you’re in the mood for chicken?

And, of course, it wouldn’t be one of my blogs if there weren’t a reference to either a movie, TV show or song that somehow related to my topic. (What? You never picked up on that?)
Anyhoooo… here’s a little paleo piece from my childhood…