Hummus Chicken and Vegetables

Hummus is one of my favorite snacks, but I have never thought to cook with it. When I saw this recipe for hummus coated chicken with veggies, I was intrigued. I didn't know you could cook hummus. What was even more exciting was that this was a one dish meal and super healthy. It's not difficult to make...there's just a little cutting work involved. Who doesn't like a delicious meal that you can make in one pan?! This is an interesting combination and the hummus creates something like a "breading" on the outside of the chicken. The paprika gives it a smokey, barbecue type flavor profile.... it's kind of like eating a barbecue chicken.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and cut in half
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 onion, sliced or diced
1 container of store bought hummus
1 teaspoon paprika
2 lemons, 1 cut in half and 1 thinly sliced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Coat a 13 x 9 glass pan with cooking spray. Slice the zucchini and yellow squash and preheat the oven to 450. (*Note: You can make veggies in a separate baking dish if you want.)

Season the chicken breast pieces with salt and pepper on both sides. In a small bowl, combine the zucchini, squash and onions. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and mix until everything is evenly coated.

Lay the veggies out in one layer in the bottom of the dish. Then place the chicken on top. Cover the chicken breast pieces with hummus. Make sure that they are completely covered. (I added a little extra to mine)

Squeeze one lemon over the chicken and sprinkle with paprika. Thinly slice the second lemon and lay the slices between the chicken and veggies. Bake for 30 minutes, making sure that the chicken is cooked throughout. 

Just be careful that you don't overcook the chicken because it's a bit hard to tell when it is done with the hummus on top. I overcooked mine slightly, so I served it with a tiny bit of extra hummus to add some moisture back into the chicken. This dish is a not like eating normal chicken, so be sure to give it a try!