I have exactly what we need on this Monday.
An easy but delicious dinner!
What more could one ask for on a Monday? Aside from an extra cup or two of coffee? And maybe a few extra snooze minutes from our alarm clocks.
When it comes to dinnertime, I have you covered!
This chicken dish comes together quickly and easily but has amazing flavor. It’s everything I want after a long and busy weekday.
This Riesling lemon chicken is so delicious. Crispy, lightly battered chicken breasts simmer in a simple sauce of wine, lemon juice, and chicken stock. I love to serve this over Israeli couscous that is flavored with more lemon and lots of fresh herbs.
It is a taste of spring in every bite! It’s one of those dishes that tastes light but is still completely satisfying. The flavors are bursting with brightness!
I like to use thin chicken breasts for this recipe. You can buy them or halve regular chicken breasts and pound them thin. We just want to ensure they are thin because this recipe goes quickly. We want to make sure the chicken is properly cooked through!
It all starts by lightly (and I mean LIGHTLY) battering the chicken before it goes into a hot pan to crisp up in olive oil. We dredge them through a little flour, then some eggs, and then back in the flour. The coating ends up staying crisp but very, very light. I love chicken this way.
Once the chicken is crisped and golden on both sides, we set it aside and start the easy pan sauce. I also start the couscous at this point too.
The pan sauce comes together with a few ingredients: Riesling wine, lemon juice, and some chicken stock. We also add in some butter to tighten things up at the end, but the main flavors are the wine and lemon juice.
I love Riesling here because it’s a touch sweet. Don’t worry – this doesn’t mean that your chicken is going to taste like dessert! The Riesling just adds some balance to the acidity of the lemon juice. The resulting sauce is neither sweet nor too tart. It’s perfect!
Once the sauce is done, return the chicken to the pan and turn it to coat in the sauce. That’s it! So easy.
As for the couscous, I am OBSESSED with the texture of Israeli couscous. Oh my gosh. It has the best chew! I love, love it and am always looking for ways to use it more. Here, it cooks simply in some chicken stock and water until tender and then gets lemon juice and zest and a lot of fresh herbs stirred in. Easy peasy but loaded with flavor. Yum!
To serve it up, I like to do a generous pile of the lemony herbed couscous on the plate. Then top it with the saucy chicken breasts and a drizzle of the pan sauce. Serve with lots of chopped fresh herbs over top and a few lemon slices.
That’s it! Dinner is ready and served in about 30 minutes (it’s probably a little bit less) and tastes like heaven.
It’s the perfect light spring dinner!
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Riesling Lemon Chicken with Herbed Israeli Couscous
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Riesling Lemon Chicken with Herbed Israeli Couscous is a quick and easy meal that tastes like spring! it’s bright and flavorful and tastes light but satisfying. A weeknight staple meal!
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- Salt and pepper
- 1½ lbs of thin-sliced chicken breasts (most packs this size have between 4-6 chicken cutlets)
- ½ cup Riesling wine
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- Juice of 1 lemon (roughly 3 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Chopped fresh herbs, for serving
- Lemon slices, for serving
For the Couscous:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups Israeli couscous
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ½ cup fresh herbs, chopped (any you like – we love parsley, chives, and fresh dill)
Instructions
For the Chicken:
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil.
- While the pan heats up, prep the dredging station by placing the flour in a shallow bowl and the eggs in another. Season both with a little salt and pepper.
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and then dredge them in the flour. Turn them to coat lightly on both sides.
- Next, place the floured chicken into the beaten eggs and turn to coat, letting the excess drip off. Dredge the chicken back through the flour one more time.
- Place the battered chicken straight into the hot pan and then continue with the remaining chicken, adding it all to the pan once it is battered.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and crisp. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add in the riesling wine. Cook, stirring, until the wine reduces by about half.
- Stream in the chicken broth and lemon juice and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced by half.
- Whisk the butter into the sauce. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
- Return the chicken to the pan, gently turning it to coat in the sauce, and then keep warm until you are ready to serve.
For the Couscous:
- While the pan sauce is cooking, make the couscous by heating the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the couscous and toast in the oil until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the chicken broth, water, and salt and bring to a simmer.
- Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until the couscous is puffed, tender, and the liquid has evaporated.
- Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh herbs and stir to combine.
- Season, to taste, with additional salt and pepper.
To Serve:
- On each serving plate, spoon some of the herbed couscous. Top with a chicken breast. Spoon over the pan sauce.
- Garnish with additional fresh herbs and lemon slices. Serve immediately while everything is hot.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: dinner
Keywords: riesling lemon chicken, chicken with lemon riesling pan sauce, herbed Israeli couscous, light and healthy chicken recipe
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
Made this last night and it was a hit! Easy but lots of flavor. The pan sauce is to die for!
★★★★★
I used vermouth instead of white wine as that is all we had – delish!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing! So glad you enjoyed. I’ll try with vermouth next time – sounds great!
Thanks for the recipe.