Eat-yourself-skinny's Lemon Basil Chicken

Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 5 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup wine (i substitute apple juice)
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 large bunch basil, julienned and chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• juice of one lemon (slice and reserve leftovers)

Recipe

• 1 to obtain more flavorful and jucier meat, always brine in advance. this is a technique i just tried for the first time and i noticed a huge difference. for boneless, skinless chicken breasts you only need to let the chicken brine for 30 to 60 minutes.
• 2 in a large plastic bag (or glass bowl or dish), pour 1 quart of cold water, 1/2 cup kosher salt or 1/4 table salt and 1/2 cup sugar. mix well, place chicken in bag and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.
• 3 preheat oven to 400 degrees f.
• 4 heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. add garlic and let cook for about 1 minute, you don't want to burn the garlic. remove from heat.
• 5 stir in wine, lemon zest, basil, salt and pepper.
• 6 arrange chicken breasts in a baking dish. season breasts with salt and pepper. pour lemon basil sauce over chicken and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
• 7 keep covered and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.