Momma Told Me: @CitizenChef Reporting For Duty: Limone Garlic Chicken

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@CitizenChef Reporting For Duty: Limone Garlic Chicken

 ***Note, I was sent complimentary product from Citizen Chef for the purpose of featuring on this blog. No other compensation was provided. All photos and opinions are copyright Momma Told Me 2013.
Momma Told Me: The sauces have it!

As a child there was one thing that could save an unwanted ingredient on my plate; the proper sauce. Sauce, which was also affectionately my name for Ranch dressing, could make even the blandest of ingredients tolerable to my palette. I figured out, at an early age, to more sauce you drowned each bite of 'x' in, the better 'x' tasted. (See, I did master Algebra at an early age!) Now, I won't call Momma a one trick pony, but she did have an arsenal of secret tricks, and that included rotating a variety of proteins through the same general 4-5 meals. One night would be Spaghetti and Meatballs, another Spaghetti and Chicken, and the next Marinara Drenched Pork Tips; you get the picture. Momma didn't have the time to cook sauces from scratch, and her favored ones often came from a shelf stable bottle, and were loaded with preservatives and sugars.
I'm not bad mouthing Momma, really, all of her cooking was delicious, no matter how much she 'cheated' with meal making kits and delicious culinary sauce aids. And so long as there was a bottle of sauce (Ranch) on the table, I could make any ingredient manage to disappear. But modern times have brought new sensibilities to Mommas and Home Chefs alike. We demand better quality and a more discerning flavor; meals with less ingredients and heightened taste, while still requiring the same amount of flexibility and creativity Momma enjoyed. Whether willing, or begrudgingly tasked, the average home chef needs cooking aids that will allow for delicious culinary creations on a tight schedule. We don't always have time to stop by the market in between hunting school project supplies and prying the Goldfish from the Cat. We want meals that are as flavorful as us, yet as simply fulfilling as a pinch on the cheek from Granny. And that's where Citizen Chef arrives on the scene.
What on Earth is a Simmer Sauce, you ask? Well, it's a lot of things; a marinade, a saute, a finishing sauce- all sorts of wonderful things intended to infuse flavor and depth into any last minute dish. The brand, Citizen Chef currently specializes in inspired Salad Kits and 5 international inspired Simmer Sauces. Sold nationwide at Safeway, Sprouts, Costco and more, these cooking aids are packed with the freshest ingredients and entirely artificial (preservative) free. Citizen Chef acts as your private sous chef in the kitchen, pairing each simmer sauce profile with several custom recipes and cooking ideas; extending the assistance beyond a mere sauce. The brand believes that cooking should be an excuse for people to come together, and that good food can build stronger families and couples. That's a powerful mission for one little tub.
I received 3 flavors of Citizen Chef's Simmer Sauces; Limone Garlic, Pan Asian Orange, and Hawaiian Pineapple BBQ, for a feature here on Momma Told Me (giveaway coming soon). To begin, each 10z resealable tub of sauce is portioned for one meal, though I've found there are many uses for them, and a tub does not have to be committed to an entire meal. They do, however, have to remain refrigerated to ensure freshness (remember, no chemicals or preservatives). On the top of each lid is a smartphone link that will take you to simple and fresh recipes with the specified sauce. I chose to prepare the insanely simple and tauntingly vibrant Limone Baked Chicken found on their Limone Garlic Sauce sub-site. The recipe was as simple as preparing my favorite veggies, in this case soft boiling some tiny golden potatoes for 20 minutes, and pan searing some trimmed chicken breasts. I decided to take a basic Summer stir fry and add it to the pan with a dash of olive oil, while I briefly browned the chicken. Next, I layered the potatoes, with stir fry veggies, and topped with the chicken and a few fresh slices of lemon.
The lemon slices were more of a garnish; a feast for the eyes, as the true flavor for this dish came from drizzling a container of Citizen Chef Limone Garlic sauce atop, just before entering the oven. In less than an hour I had a complete gourmet meal that could have walked out of Gordon Ramsay's kitchen! I was quite impressed, personally, with the subtle balance of tart lemon and pungent garlic. We used the simmered juices as a dipping sauce for the tender chicken and cleared every last bite off our plates. I think Jay has a new favorite; an American twist on his preferred Chinese Lemon Chicken. Best of all, our meal was infused with flavor and not fat; I didn't have to rely on fancy fried breading to clear plates, but that Citizen Chef sauce was certainly fought over! Look for 2 more features with Citizen Chef sauces, and a forthcoming giveaway!

What Daughter Says: Don't drown bad cooking in fatty sauces, let the sauce be your inspiration with Citizen Chef!

22 comments:

  1. The Pan Asian sounds like one I would love to try. Your pictures make me want to bite my computer screen.

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  2. This looks absolutely delicious!!!

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  3. This looks fantastic! I'd never think of doing a simmer sauce, but it makes tons of sense... for sure going to have to try it now!

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  4. Looks amazing, as do all of your recipes. You inspire me to take good photos with my posts too.

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  5. Looks amazing! I always love to see what you are going to cook up next!

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  6. Wow, I love using sauces like this! They really add great flavor! That chicken looks amazing!

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  7. I'd love to try them all! You seriously make some of the best looking food on the web

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  8. Wow, that looks really good! I am always looking for new chicken recipes. This one will have to be added to my menu for next week!

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  9. That looks so delicious - I'd love to join your dinner table (thank you for asking)

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  10. i need to have dinner at your house! my meals are never this fun or yummy looking lol

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  11. I have heard about this cooking sauce Citizen Chef and I have looked did not think to check Sprouts, we have a new one here will check it out, I loved how your mama cooked sounds like mine, we would have spagetti rice in almost any way. When you raise a family with four kids you learn to stretch foods with rice, snoodles, etc..

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  12. I think I would like the Limone Garlic used on Tilapia and roasted veggies :) YUM!

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  13. This looks fantastic! I love flavor boosters like this, and what an amazing way to punch up a basic meal without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. I'd also like to try the orange.

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  14. Thanks for the review-think I'll try out a pasta-shrimp dish with the Limone Garlic sauce.

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  15. The meal you cooked looks delicious! I haven't seen these products for sale yet, but I'll add it to my shopping list and hope to find it!

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  16. I have never tried their products but it looks really tasty...love your recipes!

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  17. These seem like something my family would like. Can't wait to try them.

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  18. Lemon and garlic - two of my favorite flavors!

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  19. I've never heard of Citizen Chef before but the flavors sound delicious. I'd love to try the Hawaiian Pineapple BBQ!

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  20. I'm always looking for something unique and different to add to chicken dishes, all the flavors sound great.

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  21. I haven't heard of this brand before, but I use lots of sauces to add zip and a different taste to my foods, so will have to check it out since they have some yummy flavor combos!

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