Healthy Chicken and Vegetables

This is a "recipe" given to my class by one of our nutrition professors.

You will need:

• chicken
• fresh lemon
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• any combination of chopped vegetables (peppers, carrots, celery, chard, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, red onion, etc.) See below for specific directions. I suggest using 3 - 4 cups of veggies per chicken breast (or equivalent).
• dry or fresh herbs such as rosemary and/or thyme
• chopped raw garlic or garlic salt/powder, if desired
• extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle AFTER cooking

 Generally, here's how things go:

Juice the lemon into a large stainless steel pot (e.g., Dutch oven). Be sure to remove any pips. Add the chicken, garlic, herbs, and wine. Cook so that neither side is pink. Simmer, adding the chopped vegetables, starting with the ones that take longest to cook. You can start with chard/kale stems that are chopped into small pieces (or freeze them in small pieces for soups or stews later). Also, chopped broccoli stems, carrots, and celery are good candidates for the "first pass". Then add chopped peppers, broccoli florets, zucchini pieces, etc. About 2 - 3 minutes before chicken and vegetables are cooked to your liking, add in the chard or kale. Once these leaves are brightly coloured and tender, remove the pot from the stove and serve. Drizzle with olive oil.

Note: cooking with wine and lemon juice means you don't need to use any oils to prevent sticking. If at any time the simmering pot starts becoming dry, you can add a small amount of water or wine.