master

In this recipe, you’ll learn how to oven-steam chicken—layered over aromatic lemon and garlic, then sealed inside foil for juicy results. We’re serving it over a hearty bed of freekeh (a type of wheat harvested young, then toasted) tossed with roasted broccoli and briny olives.

Ethan Mick

with Freekeh, Broccoli, & Olives

Baked Lemon Chicken

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Lemon

Cracked Freekeh

Garlic

Broccoli

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Verjus Rouge

Plain Greek Yogurt

Castelvetrano Olives

Ingredients

oven

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 450°F. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Once boiling, add the** freekeh** and cook, uncovered, 24 to 26 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot. Cover to keep warm.

Cook the freekeh:

While the freekeh cooks, wash and dry the fresh produce. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Cut off and discard the bottom 1/2 inch of the **broccoli** stem; cut the broccoli into large florets. Place on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer on one side of the sheet pan.

Prepare & season the broccoli:

While the freekeh continues to cook, peel and thinly slice the **garlic**. Zest the **lemon** to get two teaspoons (if you don’t have a zester, use a peeler to remove the yellow rind, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind). Halve the lemon crosswise. Thinly slice and deseed one half, keeping the other half intact. Pat the **chicken** dry with paper towels; season on both sides with salt, pepper, and **as much of the red pepper flakes as you’d like**, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Place a large, rectangular piece of aluminum foil on a work surface. Place the **sliced lemon and garlic** in an even layer on one side of the foil. Top with the seasoned chicken, **1 tablespoon of olive oil**, and **half the verjus**. Fold the foil in half over the seasoned chicken. Roll and crimp the three open edges inwards to completely seal the packet. Carefully transfer to the other side of the sheet pan of **seasoned broccoli**.

Prepare the chicken foil packet:

Bake the **chicken** **and** **broccoli** 20 to 22 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender when pierced with a fork and the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven. Carefully transfer the foil packet of baked chicken to a work surface.

Bake the chicken & broccoli:

While the chicken and broccoli bake, using the flat side of your knife, smash the **olives**; remove and discard the pits, then roughly chop. In a bowl, combine the **yogurt** and **the juice of the lemon half** (discarding any seeds). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare the remaining ingredients:

To the pot of **cooked freekeh**, add the **roasted broccoli**, **chopped olives**, **lemon zest**, **1 tablespoon of olive oil**, and the **remaining verjus**. Stir to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Carefully open the foil packet of **baked chicken**; let rest at least 2 minutes. Reserving any liquid in the packet, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Carefully remove and discard the **garlic and lemon slices**. Slice the rested chicken crosswise. Serve the sliced chicken with the finished freekeh and **seasoned yogurt** on the side. Top the chicken with any reserved liquid from the packet. Enjoy!