Skinny Sauces, Take 1

One of my favorite culinary skills to practice is making sauces.  In my opinion, the difference between an average dish and a great dish comes down to the sauce.  That being said, most sauces are not on the top of the healthy list.  For example, a basic roux, which is the fundamental base for most french sauces, is made with flour and butter.  Yummy?  Yes.  Healthy? Not so much. Therefore, I decided to take some time to create some sauces that are healthy and delicious, making them the perfect finishing touches to a dish. 

Chicken with Onions, Capers and a Red Pepper Puree

Makes 2 servings

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup low fat plain yogurt

1 jar of roasted red peppers in water

1/4 cup of capers

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup of low fat (1%) milk

1 small white onion, sliced thin

Olive oil 

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Marinate the chicken in the yogurt while you prepare the rest of the dish.  Low fat yogurt is a great, healthy marinade.  

In a food processor, blend the roasted red peppers.  Add two cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup of milk and blend again.  Taste and continue to add enough milk until it has calmed down the acidity of the red peppers.  

In a sauce pan, drizzle olive oil and heat to medium.  Gently saute the thinly sliced onions until they are translucent.  Remove the chicken from the yogurt marinade, wiping off most of the yogurt.  Do not rinse and do not worry if some yogurt remains.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook with the onions.  Allow the onions to caramelize as the chicken is cooking.  If needed, add one tablespoon of water to release the caramelized onions from the pan to prevent burning.  This will create a nice browning on the chicken and the onions.  Cook until the chicken is almost cooked throughout.  Add the capers and cook only long enough to crisp the capers and allow the chicken to finish cooking.  Remove all the ingredients from the pan and place on a separate plate.

Add the roasted red pepper puree to the pan, just long enough to allow it to heat throughout and pick up any remaining essence from the onions.  Drizzle over the chicken, onions and capers.  Serve and enjoy :)

What makes this bite better?

People usually associate dry grilled chicken with a healthy diet.  Not yummy.  This dish is a healthy way to spice up a boring piece of chicken and add some flavor.  The red pepper puree not only replaces a more unhealthy sauce made with butter, but adds a serving of veggies and the nutrients that come with it.  Capers naturally add a nice salty flavor preventing you from having to go overboard on the salt.