Lemon Basil Chicken Tenders with Zucchini Ribbons

Lemon Basil Chicken Tenders with Zucchini Ribbons ~ this chicken dinner has all the sunny flavors of the Mediterranean since it has fresh lemon, lemon zest & basil.  The zucchini ribbons are a low carb stand in for pasta noodles & the tomatoes/green onions give it a 'light tomato sauce' taste. It cooks up quick, so it would be a great midweek meal.

I saw this recipe in our newspaper last week & decided to give it a try.  Happy to say, it was easy to make & we enjoyed it.  I added a few things to their recipe & tweaked/adapted it a bit ~ no surprise there, heehee.  :)  I really enjoyed the sunny flavors of fresh lemon, lemon zest & basil, all mingled together.  This meal kinda reminded me of a low cal, low carb, low fat version of Chicken Piccata.  Just make a few tweaks ~ add a little white wine, capers, exchange the basil for parsley & add a bit of Parmesan cheese ~ & now you've got a whole different meal.   Love when that happens ~ two different recipes for the price of one!   This dinner is quick enough to throw together for a midweek meal, but is nice enough to serve guests.  It's also a good meal if you are eating Fat Flush Plan style...how cool is that?  :)  Enjoy!

Lemon Basil Chicken Tenders with Zucchini Ribbons

serves 2

• Juice of 1 lemon
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil  or 1 Tbsp dried basil
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 green onion, chopped, green & white parts
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
• smoked paprika (or regular paprika) ~ to sprinkle on chicken while cooking

• 1 medium zucchini 
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped, green & white parts
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp water
• salt & pepper, to taste 

Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl ~ add chicken to the marinade and turn to coat.  Let sit in marinade while you prepare the zucchini ribbons. 

Use a vegetable peeler to shave the zucchini into very thin "ribbons."

Heat a skillet over medium.  Add chicken tenders and the marinade.  Sprinkle on a little smoked paprika on the chicken tenders.  Cook chicken tenders 3 minutes ~ flip, sprinkle a little more smoked paprika on other side, cook another 3 minutes.  (Approx. 6 minutes total, 3 minutes per side) 

While chicken is cooking ~ in separate pan, over medium heat, add the oil & water, when hot ~ toss in zucchini ribbons, tomatoes & green onions.  Cook until zucchini/tomatoes start to wilt & is hot throughout, about 3-4 minutes.  Salt & pepper, to taste.

Serve chicken tenders with any juice from the pan & zucchini ribbons, on the side.  Salt & pepper, to taste.   Enjoy!