You guys. How is it already September 23rd??? It really is true that the older you get, the faster time goes by. I mean, wasn’t I just getting married last weekend?!?! Sheesh.
The last week or so has been a little rough, my motivation really lacking, which is why the absence of posts the last week or so. I apologize for that. I pinched a nerve (or so I’m guessing) in my right shoulder last Sunday, which caused me to have pain all the way down to my wrist and a T-Rex arm for almost a week. It was not pleasant. I still have some pain in my forearm if I fully extend it and turn it a certain way, but it is tons better than what it was. Of course J wanted me to go to the doctor, and stubborn as I am, I refused. So, all I can do is speculate what happened and hope it heals up soon! Not the smartest route, admittedly, but that’s just how I roll sometimes.
Then we got some news on Friday that was not the greatest, but we’re trusting God with it and believing for better things to come our way very soon.
So, it was a rough week, last week. This week started off…not much better, in the motivation department, but yesterday I got an email that helped to brighten my day and my mood. I had entered a raffle on another food blog, for a ticket to a food blogger conference, Mixed, which is coming up next weekend. And I won!! There were two tickets to be given away and I won one of them. Coincidentally, the other ticket was won by one of my friends on my cooking board. So, I’m super stoked about that. The conference is in Houston, just a few hours from me, so I can easily drive to it. I’ve always wanted to go to one of these food blogger conferences, but they are usually in another state or more money than I can spend on a ticket, plus travel, hotel, etc. This one is just a 3 hour drive away and a free ticket!! So, yeah, I’m excited.
Sometimes we just need a little bright spot to remind us that all is well, right?
Yummy food doesn’t hurt either. Food with beer in it, even.
So, here I am standing at the rack at the grocery store where you can buy individual 12 ounce bottles of beer, and I have no clue what to buy now. Until I see a Lemon Shandy beer. Uh. Lemon. Yes.
This particular beer is a wheat ale (which means diddly to me…) and really all I was going for was a light beer versus dark. And if it had any citrus notes to it at all, that had to be good, especially when you throw honey into the mix. Lemon + honey = all the good things. Now, if you are one who doesn’t cook with alcohol, that’s ok too! You can sub chicken broth for the beer (and maybe a squeeze of lemon!) and still have an amazing sauce!
This is another one of those easy, weeknight meals, that you can have on the table in less than 30 minutes, that tastes amazing. You know, my favorite kind of meal! And after you try it, this will be one of your favorites, too!
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3-4 boneless,skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup beer (I used a Lemon Shandy)
- 2 Tbsp lower-sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
Preparation
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan and swirl to coat.
- Slice the chicken breasts in half length-wise, or pound with a meat mallet to 1/4″ thickness. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
- Use the same pan and add the shallots. Cook for about a minute, stirring, until the become translucent.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the beer, soy sauce, Dijon mustard and honey. Whisk until combined and then pour into the pan with the shallots. Bring the mixture to a boil, and stir, scraping up the browned bits.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Add the chicken back to the pan and heat through, turning to coat both sides with the sauce.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with sauce!
Beer? Heck yeah!