How to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken

Maybe you have heard a lot about lemon pepper chicken and maybe you even had the pleasure to try it at a nice restaurant. Now you can make it at home with real success if you follow the information we present here for your consideration.

 

Types of Chicken to Use

When you decide that you would like to make lemon pepper chicken, then you need to know which kind of chicken to use. The most popular chicken to use in the preparation of this dish is chicken breasts. It is important to note that you must cut the chicken breasts into thin slices and then pound them with a meat mallet in order to make them as thin as possible. This helps to ensure that the chicken will be able to cook in a manner that is even and quick. Then you can have the peace of mind that no part of the chicken will be left uncooked. For this type of dish, you can also apply the usage of chicken wings or chicken thighs. But it will be necessary for you to also thinly slice the thighs and pound the thigh meat with a meat mallet well in order to make the cooking process for the thigh meat uniform and quick.

 

Explanation of What Lemon Pepper Seasoning Is And How to Make Your Own

If you are new to lemon pepper, you may be wondering what lemon pepper seasoning actually is. The name of the seasoning is certainly interesting and enticing. This type of seasoning is created with the use of the zest of lemons that is combined with cracked pepper. This combination of flavors indeed does provide a taste that will always be delicious and vibrant. Though we will be providing a recipe in regards to how to use this seasoning with chicken, the reality is it pairs well with other types of poultry, such as partridge, duck or turkey. It is also ideal to use with pasta, beef, salad and even seafood.

 

This seasoning is available in most grocery stores. But the good news is that it is not a hard task to make your own seasoning right in the comfort of your own home. In many cases, your own seasoning will turn out better than that which you can buy at the grocery store. Also, it is nice that you can have the opportunity to provide customization for the lemon pepper seasoning if you wish to add extra spices that you like. We highly make the recommendation that you should opt to create your own lemon pepper seasoning if possible due to the reality that some brands of lemon pepper seasoning that you get in the stores tend to use real lemon. They instead are created with the usage of citric acid. But this dish is superb with the usage of lemon pepper seasoning that has natural lemon that is fresh, which is the reason why we like homemade lemon pepper seasoning the best. Therefore, you will need four lemons and one tablespoon of pepper. But you can modify the amounts of both the lemons and the pepper as desired.

 

It certainly is possible to make this seasoning personalized according to your preferences. You are able to be in control of the thickness of the pepper that you grind. Also, you can opt to even try adding the zest of other types of fruits in the citrus family, such as tangerines, limes or even oranges. Then you can also take the opportunity to combine other spices with the seasoning, such as onion powder, garlic, salt, basil, sage, rosemary, oregano or some parsley.

 

To make your own homemade lemon pepper seasoning, you can use a knife, vegetable peeler or lemon zester in order to zest the lemons. Be careful to avert getting the white part of the lemon in with the zest, as that part of the fruit is quite unpleasantly bitter. Then you will want to finely chop or grate the zest of the lemon. Place the zest into a bowl. You can grind peppercorns to your desired thickness or you can use pepper that has already been prepared. Combine the pepper with the lemon zest. The amount of pepper and zest is according to your preference, but a good ratio is the zest of four lemons to one tablespoon of pepper. Then place the seasoning mixture on a baking tray and bake the mixture in your oven at a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit for a duration of one and a half hours to cause the mixture to become dehydrated. You will cool the mixture until it reaches room temperature. Next, you will need to grind the mixture. It is ideal to use a spice grinder for this step. You can also apply the usage of a pizza cutter if you do not have access to a spice grinder. Once that step is completed, place the mixture into a jar and seal the jar carefully to ensure that your mixture will remain fresh for many months. You can enjoy using this awesome seasoning for chicken, salad, seafood and more.

 

The Ingredients That You Must Have to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken

In order to make delicious lemon pepper chicken, you need to know the ingredients that are necessary components of this dish. Indeed, this dish is amazing for a fast dinner or a nice lunch. The good news is that it does not really take all that much effort to prepare and the time to cook it is quite fast. If you want to make four servings, you will require two chicken breasts that do not have any bones or skin. You will also need half a teaspoon of sugar that will be used for the sake of browning your children. Furthermore, you need one and one-quarter tablespoons of flour, three and a half tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of avocado oil as well as the fresh juice of one and a half lemons. In addition, you need one-quarter cup of parsley that is finely chopped along with tasty lemon pepper seasoning.

 

The Easy Way to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken

1.Slice the chicken breasts thinly. You should slice them in a horizontal direction. Make sure that the knife you use is sharp. You will want to make sure that each chicken breast is sliced into two halves of equal portions. Thus, this will result in the two chicken breasts providing you with four pieces of chicken meat after you complete the slicing process. Then you will need to use a meat mallet to pound the chicken slices in order to make them as thin as possible.

2.Create your own lemon pepper seasoning, which can be achieved with ease and success when you are careful to follow the instructions that we have clearly provided previously in this article for your benefit. Or you can also opt to use seasoning from the store.

3.In a bowl, combine the sugar, lemon pepper seasoning and flour. You will use this mixture of ingredients to coat the chicken on all sides. Let the chicken rest for seven minutes after you have finished coating all the pieces.

4.Preheat a pan on top of your stove over medium heat. Put butter in the pan and add the avocado oil. Make sure that the butter and oil are distributed in an even manner.

5.Put the chicken pieces in the pan. Cook the pieces of chicken for around six or seven minutes until you notice that the bottom of the chicken that is resting on the surface of the pan has become golden brown. Flip the chicken pieces over and proceed to cook them on the other side for the same amount of time. This will help to make sure that all the pieces of chicken have been cooked completely in the center.

6.Take the pan off the burner of the stove and add the lemon juice.

7.Top the chicken with parsley. In addition, you can also opt to serve the chicken with some grilled lemon slices if desired.

 

The Best Way to Store Chicken That Is Left Over

When you realize that you have cooked too much chicken, you do not have to throw it away. You can store it with success, which will allow you to continue to enjoy your chicken until it is gone. Therefore, we share the best method for you to store your chicken. You must allow the chicken to cool down fully prior to storing the chicken. Place the chicken into a container that is airtight and clean. Keep your chicken in the container in your fridge for up to three or four days. Enjoy your chicken until you have eaten all of it. In addition, you can also store this chicken in your freezer for a period of up to approximately three months. But this chicken is so delicious, that it is hard to even imagine that there will be some leftover that will need to be stored away in your fridge or freezer.