CHICKEN LAZONE

GINA'S CHICKEN LAZONE
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6 pieces) *
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup heavy cream

Mix the seasonings in a small bowl. Rub this mixture on the chicken pieces to coat them well. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.

Add the cream to the skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the chicken is done, stirring the sauce occasionally and flipping the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. If you're using chicken thighs, this will take another 5 minutes per side. When the chicken is done, and the sauce has reduced and thickened, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, stir it into the sauce. Serve the chicken topped with the sauce.

Makes 3-6 servings

* Gina used 4 whole boneless chicken breasts.

Per Thigh: 222 Calories; 19g Fat; 10g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs
Per 2 Thighs: 443 Calories; 38g Fat; 21g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

This is a popular recipe at Low Carb Friends. I'd been wanting to try this recipe for the longest time but something always came up until now. I didn't want to use chicken breasts because I was afraid they'd get overcooked if I simmered them in the sauce as long as directed. I also had a lot of boneless thighs in the freezer so that's what I used. While this isn't a pretty dish, it does taste very good. Don't expect the sauce to stay creamy. By the time I served mine, the sauce had separated and turned oily. That won't stop me from making this again sometime though. Click the photo to see a close-up.

UPDATE 10/13/13: I made this again today and got a slightly better photo of it this time. I made it with chicken tenders this time and my sauce didn't break as badly as the last time. I added an extra half cup of cream to the sauce today but didn't add more spices.

UPDATE 3/17/14: I may have found the secret to keeping the sauce from breaking. I made a big batch of this yesterday with about 3 1/2 pounds of tenders, double the sauce ingredients and about triple the spice mixture. Just before adding the cream to the pan, I sprinkled 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum over the surface of the chicken and gave the chicken a gentle stir. My sauce stayed thick and creamy this time. It even seems to hold up pretty well after reheating the chicken in the microwave but I've only tried a small piece as a test this morning. For a regular size batch, I'd use 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum.

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