Chicken with Cucumber & Dill

The idea of sautéing cucumbers in butter to serve hot might sound a little odd to you, I know Matt was very dubious when I explained this dish to him, but it is really quite a tasty surprise. Once cooked the cucumbers have a slight sweetness & their texture becomes a lot like that of a cooked apple. Dill is of course the classic herb to use with cucumber. The lemon juice is really important to add vibrancy to this dish so don't skimp on it. I like to serve it over a little jasmine rice.

If like us you have a lot of cucumbers right now this is a perfect & unusual way to use one up.

Chicken with Cucumber & Dill
(adapted from Cooking Class Chicken Cookbook)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt
pepper
2 T unsalted butter
1 cucumber
1/4 t dried dill
juice of one lemon

Season the chicken breasts with salt & pepper. Melt 1 T of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken & cook for about 10 minutes or until cooked, flipping halfway through. Remove the chicken to a plate & tent to keep warm. Keep the skillet on the heat.

Peel the cucumber & halve it lengthwise then seed it. Now cut the halves into 1/4-inch slices. Melt the remaining 1 T of butter in the same skillet. Add the cucumbers & season with salt & pepper. Cook the cucumbers for about 2 minutes & then add the dill & lemon juice.

Return the chicken breasts to the pan as well as any juice that has accumulated on the plate. Cook for 2 more minutes or until the chicken is reheated.

Serve pouring any sauce in the pan over the chicken & cucumbers.

Serves 2 but is easily doubled for 4