Fresh parsley: greeting spring, now ready to accent Lemon Parsley Chicken

I’m so tickled about my parsley; I really am. This year marked the first winter I’ve braved leaving it in the ground to see if it actually would return in the spring. I didn’t dig it up and put it in a cozy pot to overwinter but just kept it in its regular habitat up near the back porch step and let it freeze back.

As the ground began to warm, I saw the first green fuzzy tops of the parsley sprigs barely inching their heads up over the dirt. They survived! Now, several weeks into spring, they’re multiplying and attempting to regain their pre-winter bushiness.

I wanted a dish that would showcase this fresh product that I could simply walk out my back steps and trim. Through an Internet search I turned up this simple entrée that made a terrific weeknight meal. It was light and low-cal. The fresh parsley and juice and zest from a fresh lemon gave it the most terrific flavor. I added a sack of frozen hash-brown potatoes from the freezer and mixed some parsley snippings within as I cooked the potatoes on the stovetop.

The chicken (a low-fat dish, of course) was unbelievably moist and tender. Sometimes the most simple recipes, prepared with fresh products, are the very best.

Lemon Parsley Chicken 

4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

zest of 1 medium lemon

juice of 1 medium lemon

1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a shallow baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Lay chicken breasts in baking tray (I pounded mine with a meat mallet to flatten them a little before I baked them.) Squeeze lemon juice over chicken. Sprinkle parsley and freshly ground black pepper on top. Roast for 20 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Makes 4 servings. (Source: http://lowfatcooking.about.com)

Parsley (forget the sage, rosemary, and thyme) livens up these red potatoes

Using up fresh parsley is one of the toughest “leftover” struggles of my fridge. After I chop a few springs of parsley for an initial recipe, I tend to forget about the remaining bunch. Then it gets wilted and shoved under something else in the vegetable bin. Then it’s bound for the compost. Pity. Fresh parsley adds so much flavor to food.

I also had a terrific supply of baby red potatoes. I made one dish with them, but it didn’t begin to exhaust my amount.

I can’t remember how it popped onto my screen (perhaps an ad accompanying Facebook), but one afternoon there it was—a recipe for Potatoes with Yogurt Sauce (from a food website called bellamiento). It called for two tablespoons fresh parsley as part of a yogurt-based dressing for cooked red potatoes. I was in business.

We really enjoyed this dish—a different way to serve red potatoes. They went with everything. The topping made with the yogurt was great. And yes, the parsley supply was put to good use.

Potatoes with Yogurt Sauce

1 quart baby red potatoes

4 tablespoons butter

salt (or salt substitute)/pepper

6 ounces plain nonfat yogurt

1 small lime, juiced

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped, divided

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 10-inch-by-7-inch oven-proof dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Using a small paring knife, cut a small slit across the top of each potato. Transfer potatoes to baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Dot butter randomly across top of potatoes. Loosely cover dish with foil; bake for about 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. Into a small bowl add yogurt, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Mix together until well-combined. Drizzle sauce over potatoes. Garnish with remaining tablespoon of parsley. Makes 4-6 servings.