Our family is always on the hunt for new and interesting ways to cook chicken breasts, and this baked chicken with roasted red peppers, basil, and citrus is a perfect fit. The chicken slowly braises in a mixture of orange and lemon juice, which keeps it nice and juicy, preventing it from drying out. The cooking liquid is also quite delicious spooned over the chicken for serving. I especially love this over rice, like our cilantro lime rice.
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (12oz) jar roasted red peppers
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup (120ml) orange juice, freshly squeezed is best
1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked off the stems
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1Prepare oven and baking dish: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and set aside a 2-quart baking dish.
2Prepare the chicken: Slice each chicken breast, on an angle, into 1-inch slices and season all over with salt and pepper.
3Prepare the peppers: Open the jar of roasted red peppers, drain the liquid, and then cut the peppers into smaller chunks, similar in size to basil leaves.
4Assemble the casserole: Scatter minced garlic in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour half of the orange juice and half of the lemon juice mixture over the garlic.
5Starting in one corner of the baking dish, alternate chicken slices with pieces of roasted red pepper and basil leaves, then pour the remaining orange and lemon juice over the chicken. Cut the butter into small squares, then scatter them over the chicken.
6Bake the casserole: Bake the chicken until a thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 165°F, 20 to 30 minutes.
7Serve the chicken over mashed potatoes, with rice, or vegetables. There will be lots of extra cooking liquid to spoon over the chicken.