Why should you eat lemon peel? (Lemon Chicken recipe included)

On Monday of this week I included a lemon chicken and orzo for the boys, Kui, Angelo and Jesse. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate throwing things away and I'm always trying to use the most of everything I cook with, see Could've lost a "Lb." Unlike the lemon chicken recipe I grew up with as a kid, this week I cooked the lemon peel down with the chicken. It was fantastic, and had a concentrated lemon flavor with a great texture that took on the savory nature of the sauce.

I began searching for "The health benefits of lemon peels." Apparently the peel is where all the most beneficial properties of a lemon reside. Putting a slice in water has been openly done forever, but it's rare that I actually see people eating the peel, or the fruit and rind. For people who can't actually eat the fruit, the peel is a great way to get most of the lemon's benefits without the lemon's highly acidic flavor.

Lemon peel contains high levels of calcium and vitamin c that improve bone health. Polyphenol flavonoids (a class of plant secondary metabolites) in lemon peels lower cholesterol and the presence of potassium maintains blood pressure, heart related issues and diabetes. The peel is also high in antioxidants and those are good for everything!! (cited)

Lemon peels contain up to 10 times more vitamins than the juice. Don't forget about the fiber! 3.5 oz of lemon peel contains a little over 10 grams of fiber. (found here)

For bad breath or oral hygiene the peel is also great since the high levels of vitamin c and citric acid aid in repair of teeth and gum related diseases.

So the next time you think about using that peel to grind in your kitchen sink disposal STOP...and eat some instead!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Price: $15

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup of lemon peel (you can include slices as I did)
1-2 Tbs. butter (you can sub. olive oil)
1/2-3/4 cup chicken bullion water (Tbs. of chicken base)
1 Tbs. garlic
pepper

Directions:

Dice chicken into bite sized pieces, mince the garlic, juice one lemon and set aside. Peel desired amount of lemon peel and also set aside. Microwave or heat 1 Tbs. of chicken base in water.
In a saute pan or skillet cook your garlic for about a minute, add your diced chicken and continue to brown on medium heat, don't forget to season your chicken. When the chicken has cooked almost through turn the heat up to med/high and de-glaze the pan with the lemon juice and chicken bullion. Add the lemon and continue to cook for about 15-20 minutes on low/medium. If your sauce is a little watery, which can happen if the chicken wasn't cooked on a high enough heat, then you can remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside and turn the heat up on the sauce till it reduces and thickens. Turn the heat off and return the chicken to the sauce.

* I added lemon slices afterward for presentation*

ENJOY!

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